CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – No. 9 Penn State women’s soccer dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to the No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers on Thursday night from Klöckner Stadium, with the home side finding the back of the net in the second minute in what proved to be the only score of the contest.
Following Thursday’s top 10 clash in Virginia, the Nittany Lions fall to 3-2-1 overall on the young season, with their only two losses coming by a single score each against road opponents ranked inside the top eight of the United Soccer Coaches Poll. UVA managed to extend its all-time lead over the Nittany Lions to 10-8-1 overall following the 19th meeting of the two squads since 1997. Virginia remains unbeaten on the year and improves to 5-0-1 following Thursday night’s action under the lights, with the Cavaliers set for a weeklong hiatus before the start of ACC play next Thursday, September 11, when they take on current No. 3 Duke at home in Charlottesville.
Virginia came away with statistical victories in every team category except for saves on Thursday, with the Cavaliers racking up an 18-4 overall differential on the shot chart in addition to a less striking 6-1 mark in terms of shots on goal. Thanks to an exemplary night in net from redshirt junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress, Penn State was able to come away with the 4-1 victory in saves, with an additional team save going in the book on a second half on-target attempt from a Cavalier attacker. The center referee called the Nittany Lions for a season-high 12 fouls on the night against just six whistles for the Cavaliers, but both teams were able to escape the night without a caution. In the corner kick competition, Virginia mustered a slim 3-2 differential, with PSU still in the hunt for its first win in the corner battle in 2025.
On an individual basis, PSU called on senior forward Amelia White to generate the lion’s share of the scoring chances against the Cavaliers, with the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native mustering the only Nittany Lion shot on target in the first 15 minutes of the fixture. White finished with a pair of shots to her credit, the only Penn Stater with multiple tries on the night. Elsewhere in the box score, sophomore forward Aubrey Kulpa and freshman midfielder Riley Cross were responsible for the other two Nittany Lion shots on the evening. PSU called on its depth to supplement the run of play on Thursday, with just three Penn Staters going the distance, as redshirt junior defender Kayleigh Herr, sophomore defender Bella Ayscue and freshman defender Hannah Jordan were the only student-athletes to go the full 90.
In goal, the Lyndhurst, New Jersey, native Gress turned in yet another exemplary individual effort in what will go on her record as an unlucky loss. Gress swatted away four saves on the night, highlighted by a monumental second half stop in the center of the goal that kept the Nittany Lions within striking distance. The veteran shot-stopper went the distance for the fourth consecutive match and is now up to 16 saves on the young 2025 campaign. For Virginia, Victoria Safradin played all 90 minutes and recorded a single save on White’s on-target attempt in the early moments of the first half, closing the book on a complete match shutout victory.
Virginia commanded the opening moments of the match, with the Cavaliers taking the first six shots of the contest through the opening 13 minutes, in addition to finding the back of the net for the lid-lifting tally in the second minute of play. The Cavaliers were able to notch the first tally of the match in the second minute of play, with Carrie Helfrich working into a one-on-one situation against Jordan in the assist zone on the left side of the pitch. A dangerous service into the Nittany Lion 18 worked across to the far side of the pitch, where Addison Halpern was able to flick the ball with her heel to Maggie Cagle, who sent the ball into the bottom left corner with a right-footed effort from around 15 yards out.
After the riotous start from UVA, Penn State was nearly able to find the back of the net to equalize on a blast from White in the 14th minute, but a miraculous save from Safradin kept the sheet clean. Penn State was able to find its footing as the opening period wore on, but Virginia managed to maintain its one-goal advantage as the squads returned to the dressing room at halftime.
The first few minutes of the second stanza passed with little in the way of scoring chances, despite the Cavaliers booking the first two shot attempts of the half. Lightning nearly struck again for UVA in the 51st minute of play, with a swarm of student-athletes in the penalty area creating a dangerous attacking chance for the home side. The ball managed to find its way onto Halpern’s boot straightaway, and the rookie midfielder unwound what appeared to be an insurance goal toward the top portion of the woodwork. Luckily for PSU, Gress was able to fully outstretch, and smack Halpern’s try over the crossbar to neutralize the threat. Play continued from there, with the Nittany Lions winning a pair of corner kick opportunities over the course of the final 45, but PSU was ultimately unable to find the equalizer as Virginia came away with the hard-fought 1-0 result.
SCORING SUMMARY
2’ – The Cavaliers were able to notch the first tally of the match in the second minute of play, with Carrie Helfrich working into a one-on-one situation against Jordan in the assist zone on the left side of the pitch. A dangerous service into the Nittany Lion 18 worked across to the far side of the pitch, where Addison Halpern was able to flick the ball with her heel to Maggie Cagle, who sent the ball into the bottom left corner with a right-footed effort from around 15 yards out. UVA 1, PSU 0
UP NEXT
No. 9 Penn State women's soccer continues its weekend road trip through the Commonwealth of Virginia, as the Nittany Lions travel to Lynchburg to square off against the Liberty Flames in a 1 p.m. (ET) matchup on Sunday, September 7, from Osborne Stadium. The match will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN 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 2025 Penn State women's soccer season is presented by Highmark.