BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The No. 8 Penn State women's soccer team opened Big Ten Conference play with a 0-0 draw at Indiana on Sunday afternoon.
While the Nittany Lions out-shot the Hoosiers 15 to seven, IND's keeper, sophomore Jamie Gerstenberg, kept her team in the game by saving eight shots on goal.
Freshman forward Amelia White led the Blue & White in her home state of Indiana with six shots, four of which were on goal. Three of her on target shots came in the first half but were saved by Gerstenberg.
With 15 seconds remaining, White stormed up field grabbing a 1-vs-1 opportunity on a long boot from senior Cori Dyke. However, Gersenberg met her outside the box to force the ball out of bounds quelling PSU's last chance.
The all-time series between Penn State and Indiana now stands at 28-1-3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half was a good mix of offense and defense from both sides. PSU had the slight edge in shots (five to four) with each shot saved by the respective keeper.
The last eight minutes before the break saw four IND corner opportunities, but the Hoosiers could not convert. Their try in the 36th minute was punched by keeper Katherine Asman and cleared away by senior+ Cassie Hiatt.
Penn State came out of the half looking to bust open the match. Senior+ Penelope Hocking's shot in the 50thminute was saved. Then in the 53rd minute, junior Elle Kershner had a shot blocked. Senior Jordan Canniff took a shot off the deflection with a promising ball that spun right of the goal.
Ten minutes later, PSU had one of its best looks as Hocking shot a scorcher from range that hit the crossbar. Kershner tried to capitalize on the deflection, but Gersenberg nabbed up the ball.
Freshman Olivia Smith made her first career appearance in the 69th minute and put in some quality minutes.
The 77th minute saw PSU's last shot on goal on a try from White.
The Nittany Lion defense held strong, limiting the Hoosiers to one shot on goal in the second half which came in the 87th minute. Asman grabbed the ball on the left post and finished the match with three saves.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field to host No. 4 Rutgers. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
The Penn State women's soccer season is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
