UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean equalized the match late in the first half and headed in the match-winning score with less than three minutes to play as No. 4 Penn State women's soccer downed the Ohio State Buckeyes by a 2-1 margin Sunday afternoon on Jeffrey Field.
The Blue & White continue their dominant start to the 2023 campaign, improving to 11-0-2 overall and 5-0-1 in the Big Ten Conference, maintaining their status as the only unbeaten team remaining in the nation's premier soccer league. Through the fourth match week of the season, PSU maintains a clear three-point advantage in the Big Ten Standings ahead of Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan State. The Nittany Lions' undefeated B1G record has culminated in 16 points thus far, while the Hoosiers, Badgers and Spartans each manage 4-1-1 league ledgers and 13 points overall. In defeat, Ohio State falls to 7-4-2 overall with a 3-2-1 record against Big Ten foes.
Penn State reasserted its dominance in the all-time series against the Buckeyes, picking up a solid result in the programs' 36th all-time meeting. The Nittany Lions climbed to 25-9-2 against their challengers from Columbus and picked up their first win in the series since a 2019 contest on the road at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Blue & White also mustered their first win at home over Ohio State since Sept. 14, 2018, when PSU picked up a dominant 4-0 result on Jeffrey Field to open B1G Conference play.
Despite a statistical disadvantage on the score sheet, the Nittany Lions once again found a way to come out of a league match with a victory. Ohio State was victorious on the shot chart, outpacing Penn State by a 17-10 tally overall, but the Nittany Lions managed a slim 6-5 decision in shots on goal that proved to be fatal. The Buckeyes ran up an 8-2 edge in the corner kick battle and notched their only goal of the contest on a set-piece opportunity from a corner in the 36th minute. The Ohio State goal in the first period made Penn State the 336th and final team in NCAA Division I women's soccer to surrender a go-ahead goal in 2023.
MacBean's storybook redshirt junior season continued Sunday, as the Excelsior, Minnesota, native tallied her first collegiate brace in addition to scoring her fourth and fifth goals of the season, respectively. In her 10th start and 13th appearance of the year, MacBean mustered her fourth match-winning goal, making her one of just three student-athletes in the Big Ten Conference to secure at least four match-winners this year. MacBean joins Indiana star Paige Webber and MAC Hermann Trophy contender Eleanor Dale of Nebraska in that esteemed category. In addition to a pair of goals, MacBean also matched her career highs in total shots with five, as well as shots on goal with two.
Four different Nittany Lions earned credit for assists on MacBean's brace, highlighted by freshman defender Kaelyn Wolfe. The West Chester, Pennsylvania, native earned her second career start on Sunday and played all 90 minutes at the left back position, scoring her first collegiate point on an assist to MacBean in the first half. Senior+ defender Michela Agresti added an assist on PSU's first-half goal, logging her first point since transferring to Penn State this fall. Senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke and senior forward Elle Kershner completed the PSU box score with one assist apiece in the second half.
Between the pipes, graduate captain and goalkeeper Katherine Asman turned in yet another solid performance, notching four saves against only one Buckeye goal allowed. The Roswell, Georgia, native logged 90 minutes played for the 10th time this season and fifth consecutive. Her effort in goal saw her rise to the top spot in the Big Ten in goals against average with a 0.422 mark, highlighted by a Big Ten-low five goals allowed in 2023. Asman improved to 11-0-2 individually this season and secured the 50th collegiate win of her career, making her one of just four Nittany Lion keepers in the 50-win club. Ohio State shot-stopper Molly Pritchard was saddled with the loss after turning back four saves and allowing a pair of PSU goals.
Penn State got out to a sluggish start in the opening moments of the match, with a high-pressure Ohio State side attacking with relentless intensity through the early going. The Buckeyes were able to draw five of their eight total corner kick attempts in the first half hour of competition, with Ohio State also attempting the match's first five shots overall. The dam broke for OSU in the 36th minute, with the Buckeyes drawing their sixth corner kick of the afternoon. Ohio State delivered a dangerous service into the box that was initially punched out by Asman, but senior midfielder Peyton McNamara was there to deliver the first goal of the contest off the rebound from her right foot around 15 yards away from the goal.
Trailing for the first time all season, Penn State immediately rose from the ashes and flipped the script on Ohio State for the remaining nine minutes of the opening stanza. A PSU throw in on the far side of the pitch allowed the Blue & White to swing the ball around and establish possession. In the Nittany Lion defensive midfield, Agresti collected the ball and fed it over to Wolfe around 48 yards away from the goal. Wolfe chipped the ball 20 yards further up the pitch for MacBean, who utilized her physicality to win the ball and work into a one-on-one against Pritchard. After eluding a charging Buckeye defender from the weak side, MacBean threaded the needle with her left boot at the edge of the goal box to equalize the score before halftime.
The Nittany Lions returned from the break rejuvenated and ready to tackle the remaining 45 minutes of action. With the contest back on level terms, PSU's offense applied pressure to Ohio State early in the period but continued to look for a go-ahead goal. The Buckeyes responded with offensive pressure of their own, forcing Asman to make a trio of second-half saves, but Ohio State failed to tack on another tally. Penn State rattled off four shots in a row, including three on-target chances within two minutes, ultimately seizing the momentum for the remainder of the contest.
PSU's match-winning goal began with intense pressure from Kershner, including a nutmeg against a Buckeye defender that ultimately resulted in a Nittany Lion corner kick with a little over two minutes to play. Senior defender Eva Alonso delivered the corner attempt short to Kershner on the far side of the field, who then fed the ball centrally towards Dyke. The Littleton, Colorado, native chipped her service from 25 yards out into the box for a perfectly positioned MacBean, whose header found the lower right portion of the Buckeye goal. The defense remained steadfast for the remaining two minutes, and Penn State garnered its fifth league victory in six opportunities.
SCORING SUMMARY
36' – Ohio State delivered a dangerous service into the box that was initially punched out by Asman, but McNamara was there to deliver the first goal of the contest off the rebound from her right foot around 15 yards away from the goal. OSU 1, PSU 0
43' – Agresti collected the ball and fed it over to Wolfe around 48 yards away from the goal, where she chipped the ball 20 yards further up the pitch to MacBean. After eluding a charging Buckeye defender from the weak side, MacBean threaded the needle with her left boot at the edge of the goal box. PSU 1, OSU 1
88' – Alonso delivered the corner attempt short to Kershner on the far side of the field, who then fed the ball centrally. Dyke chipped her service from 25 yards out into the box for a perfectly positioned MacBean, whose header found the lower right portion of the Buckeye goal. PSU 2, OSU 1
UP NEXT
No. 4 Penn State women's soccer hits the road for its final extended road trip in Big Ten Conference competition, as the Nittany Lions travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, to square off against the Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday, Oct. 12. Kickoff from Folk Field is slated for 7 p.m., with streaming 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.
