WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman notched her sixth shutout of the 2023 season, but the No. 4 Penn State women's soccer team ultimately came away with a scoreless draw against the Purdue Boilermakers Thursday night from Folk Field.
The Nittany Lions continue their unbeaten start to the 2023 campaign, moving to 11-0-3 overall and 5-0-2 in Big Ten Conference regular season competition. PSU saw its longest unbeaten streak since the 2005 team published a completely undefeated 23-0-2 season continue following Thursday night's contest in Purdue secured its second point of the year in B1G action, moving to 3-10-2 overall and 0-5-2 in the league. The Boilermakers managed to record their first tie in the series since the 2017 regular season, adjusting Penn State's lead in the all-time series to 19-1-3.
PSU dominated every aspect of the competition except for the final score, crushing their hosts in total shots by a 22-8 tally while doubling the Boilermakers up in shots on goal by an 8-4 margin. Penn State applied relentless pressure to the Purdue backline throughout the contest, compiling an 8-2 lead in the corner kick competition while being saddled with four offsides calls against zero raised flags for the Boilermakers. PSU was also significantly more disciplined in their tackling, surrendering just three fouls versus 10 calls against Purdue.
Individually, redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean set a career high in total shot attempts with six, placing a career-high-tying pair of shots on goal in the competition. Senior midfielder Natalie Wilson attempted a trio of shots with one on-target look, while senior forward Rebecca Cooke, senior+ defender Kate Wiesner and sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen each tallied a pair of shots on the night. In total, seven different Nittany Lions came away with shots on goal in West Lafayette.
Between the posts, Asman was effective en route to a four-save complete-match shutout. Fresh off becoming the fourth woman in program history to record 50 career victories, Asman returned to the pitch and led the back line to a dominant defensive performance against the Boilermakers. The clean sheet marked the 24th of her decorated collegiate career, moving her into a tie with former teammate Amanda Dennis for the fourth-most shutouts in Penn State history. Purdue keeper Charlotte Cyr was impressive in her 90 minutes of work, logging seven saves and zero goals allowed.
Penn State looked to surge ahead early on with a dominant run from MacBean inside the first minute of action, as her attack down the Purdue endline in the first 30 seconds warranted the first corner kick of the match. Although PSU failed to capitalize early on, the Nittany Lions were able to set the tone for a dominant 45 minutes of possession-focused offense highlighted by a 10-4 differential on the shot chart coupled with a 4-2 edge in shots on goal. Three of the first four Boilermaker shots occurred in the match's first 10 minutes of play. With the Nittany Lions successfully managing the road atmosphere and eager Purdue attack early on, Penn State began to turn the tides in the run of play as the half wore on.
The Blue & White saw their first real chance at a dangerous attack in the 14th minute of work, as MacBean blitzed into the Purdue penalty area and utilized a brilliant side-step to clear the way for a right-footed shot on target. Her attempt sped towards Cyr, who safely corralled the fast-paced attempt for a critical save. MacBean mustered another shot on goal in a similar fashion to her earlier chance that once again was contained by the Boilermaker keeper. As the half approached its end, Penn State won a corner kick and saw Wiesner attempt it from the far side of the pitch. Her service sailed into the box for Cooke, whose header nearly crossed the goal line before a miraculous save from a Boilermaker fielder preserved the scoreless deadlock at the break.
The Blue & White came out of the halftime intermission with a continued attacking mindset, but the Nittany Lions ultimately failed to come up with the decisive goal despite multiple scoring chances throughout the period. The Nittany Lions racked up 12 shots over the course of the final 45 minutes of action, highlighted by another spectacular header attempt that was nullified by another miraculous clearance on the goal line from a Purdue fielder late in the period. It appeared that Penn State would garner a penalty kick chance in the final five minutes of work, but a VAR review negated the opportunity and ensured that both squads would leave Folk Field with a scoreless result.
UP NEXT
No. 4 Penn State women's soccer gears up for its final road contest of the 2023 Big Ten regular season campaign, as the Nittany Lions get set to square off against the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 15. Kickoff from Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois, is slated for 5 p.m. (ET), with a national television broadcast provided via the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports App.
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.
