UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 6 Penn State women's soccer dominated on both ends of the field and mustered its fifth straight victory on Sunday afternoon, as the Nittany Lions downed the Monmouth Hawks in a 4-1 contest on Jeffrey Field.
The 2023 edition of Nittany Lion women's soccer joins elite company in Penn State history after earning its sixth unbeaten decision of the year, climbing to 5-0-1 overall. PSU's 30th varsity squad becomes just the fourth Penn State team to open a season unbeaten through its first six contests all-time, joining the 1996, 1998 and 2005 teams. In the program's series history against Monmouth, the Nittany Lions improved to 5-0 in competitions against the Hawks, winning the first regular season meeting of the two teams on Jeffrey Field. In defeat, Monmouth drops to 1-3 overall this year.
Twenty-five Nittany Lion student-athletes saw the field in Sunday afternoon's matinee, highlighted by the collegiate debut appearance of redshirt freshman midfielder Ava Minnier, who saw her first minutes since suffering a season-ending injury during training a season ago. Four different Penn State athletes found the back of the net against the Hawks, including senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke, sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen, redshirt sophomore midfielder Riley Gleason and redshirt junior midfielder Olivia Damico. Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan was exemplary in just 23 minutes of action, booking the start and a pair of assists in the run of play for the Nittany Lions early in the first half.
Penn State was efficient in its attacking opportunities, registering a total of 14 shots on the afternoon with nine of them recorded as shots on goal. The Nittany Lions surrendered just seven shots defensively with three on target. For the second match in a row and third time this season, the Blue & White defeated their opponent in the corner kick battle, outpacing Monmouth by a 4-1 tally. Penn State is a perfect 3-0-0 in matches when it wins the corner kick contest in 2023.
For the second time this season, the Nittany Lions utilized a three-keeper platoon to serve as the team's last line of defense, with graduate Katherine Asman logging the start and a pair of saves in 45 minutes of action. Asman has still yet to surrender a goal on her home field in 2023, notching 17 saves with just one goal allowed in her final season with the Nittany Lions. Redshirt freshman Mackenzie Gress and redshirt sophomore Amanda Poorbaugh took the field for the remainder of the match, with Gress playing for 26 minutes and Poorbaugh standing watch over the final 19. For Monmouth, junior Cassie Coster played all 90 minutes and registered five saves with four goals allowed.
Penn State's starting lineup laid down the hammer early in the first half against the Hawks, punishing the Monmouth back line with a litany of shots and goal-scoring chances in the first 15 minutes. The Nittany Lions broke through for the first time early in the sixth, with Linnehan drawing a penalty kick after being fouled at the edge of the 18. Dyke was called on to attempt the penalty, with the veteran captain taking advantage of Coster's incorrect guess to find the opening score.
Thirty-one seconds later, the Nittany Lions struck once again, with Linnehan finding Gleason on the left side of the box. The Mission Viejo, California, native Gleason took her time and pelted a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net for her second collegiate goal and first score since redshirting last season. Penn State's offensive onslaught continued to wear down Monmouth's defense in the early going, with Linnehan making a brilliant move to work past her defender on the right side of the attacking final third in the 15th minute. The Douglas, Massachusetts, native launched a cross into the box that sailed to the far side of the penalty area, where Borgen was patiently waiting for the pass. Borgen sidestepped to the right and threaded the needle between a pair of Hawk defenders for the third Nittany Lion goal in 15 minutes.
With the Blue & White in complete control on the field and in the box score, the Penn State staff elected to make a wide array of substitutions in the 23rd minute. With an almost entirely new unit manning the pitch, Penn State rode its momentum into the halftime break boasting a 3-0 score. PSU brought Gress on to tend goal at the start of the second half, and the Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off in the early going. Penn State booked a pair of shot attempts in addition to two corner kick opportunities in the first five minutes of the frame.
As fresh Nittany Lion legs continued to control the run of play, senior forward Elle Kershner weaved her way past a quartet of Monmouth defenders on the left side of the penalty area, feeding a nifty pass back to a trailing Damico. With Coster coming off her line to defend Kershner, Damico found herself with an open goal and tapped in the fourth Nittany Lion score of the match. With time winding down in the match, Monmouth freshman forward and Pennsylvania native Loren Gehret booked an unassisted goal for the Hawks, ultimately finalizing the 4-1 Nittany Lion victory.
SCORING SUMMARY
6' – Linnehan drew a penalty at the edge of the 18, and Dyke was called on to attempt the penalty kick. Coster guessed incorrectly as Dyke's right-footed attempt sailed into the back left corner of the goal. PSU 1, MON 0
6' – Linnehan chipped the ball over a slew of Monmouth defenders inside the box, finding Gleason on the opposite side of the penalty area. Gleason took her time and pelted a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner of the net. PSU 2, MON 0
15' – For the third time in 15 minutes, Linnehan made a brilliant move to work past her defender on the right side of the attacking final third. She launched a cross into the box that sailed to the far side of the 18, where Borgen was patiently waiting for the pass. Borgen sidestepped to her right and threaded the needle between a pair of Hawk defenders to find the back left portion of the goal. PSU 3, MON 0
55' – Kershner weaved her way past four Monmouth defenders on the left side of the penalty area, feeding a nifty pass back to Damico, who was trailing through the central part of the box. With Coster coming off her line to defend Kershner, Damico found herself with an open goal and tapped in the fourth Nittany Lion score of the match. PSU 4, MON 0
81' – Gehret worked her way down the right side of the field into the Nittany Lion final third, dribbling past a defender and working her way into a one-on-one situation with Poorbaugh. After forcing the Nittany Lion keeper to defend off her line, Gehret used a slow-rolling shot to record Monmouth's only score of the afternoon. PSU 4, MON 1
UP NEXT
No. 6 Penn State women's soccer gets set for the final contest in its 2023 non-conference schedule, as the Nittany Lions welcome the Princeton Tigers to Jeffrey Field on Thursday, Sept. 7, with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET). Streaming is available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women's soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team's Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.
The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
