UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 4 Penn State women's soccer dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 result to the No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field, placing the Nittany Lions as the No. 4 overall seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
The Blue & White conclude the 2023 regular season with a 12-1-4 overall record coupled with a 6-1-3 mark against Big Ten Conference opponents. PSU accumulated 21 points over the course of the league year, good enough for a standalone fourth-place finish in the table. PSU will square off against the Indiana Hoosiers next Sunday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. on Jeffrey Field. Wisconsin climbs to 12-3-3 overall and 7-2-1 in conference play, booking a third-place finish in the conference with 22 points.
Wisconsin narrowly won the battle for overall shot attempts, outpacing the Nittany Lions by a 16-13 tally in a raucous back-and-forth environment. The Badgers also came away with a victory with nine shots on goal against five Penn State on-target attempts. Weather was a key factor in Sunday afternoon's contest, with the corner kick differential telling the tale of the run of play. Playing with the wind behind them, Wisconsin racked up all five of their corners in the first half, while Penn State accumulated all nine of theirs in the second. Wisconsin was more overtly physical, culminating in a striking 15 foul calls in addition to a yellow card against Maddie Ishaug.
Twelve different Nittany Lion fielders appeared on the box score with at least one shot, while sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen led the team with a pair of shots overall and one on target in 72 minutes of work. Senior+ defender Kate Wiesner, sophomore forward Amelia White, senior+ defender Michela Agresti and redshirt junior forward Elle Kershner each mustered shots on goal of their own. A pair of Nittany Lion fielders played all 90 minutes in the contest, with Wiesner and senior defender Ellie Wheeler each going full-time.
Graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman put in a valiant effort Sunday against the Badgers, registering eight saves in the contest overall. The Roswell, Georgia, native played all 90 minutes for the 14th time this season and ninth match in a row against Big Ten competition. Asman was saddled with her first loss of the season after surrendering the only goal of the contest in the second half. For Wisconsin, Erin McKinney tallied a five-save shutout in 90 minutes of work, earning the individual win in the process.
The first half featured a blustery environment at the corner of Park and University, with the Nittany Lions forced to play into the wind early in the opening 45. Wisconsin took full advantage of the early opportunity, racking up a striking 5-0 differential in corner kicks through the opening period as well as a 7-1 advantage in total shot attempts. Penn State's only shot in the first half came from senior midfielder Natalie Wilson, who found herself all alone on the left side of the box, but her volley attempt sailed wide to the left. Both squads returned to the locker room after a scoreless period.
Penn State returned from the halftime break and applied consistent pressure to the Badger back line after flipping fields, but the Nittany Lions could not break through early. PSU racked up a striking nine corner kick attempts but were unable to find the back of the net. Ultimately, a questionable no-call allowed Wisconsin to tally the only goal of the match in the 83rd minute, with Ashley Martinez punching in a short service inside the goal box from Aryssa Mahrt. The Badgers buckled up defensively for the final seven minutes of action, but the Nittany Lions were unable to find an equalizing score.
SCORING SUMMARY
83' – Martinez punched in a short service inside the goal box from Mahrt. WISC 1, PSU 0
UP NEXT
No. 4 Penn State women's soccer enters the postseason in its 30th varsity campaign next Sunday, Oct. 29, as the Nittany Lions play host to fifth-seeded Indiana in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal matchup from Jeffrey Field beginning at 1 p.m. (ET). The full tournament bracket will be released later this afternoon via BigTen.org and the B1GSoccer social media channels. PSU's postseason opener will air live 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.
