UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite dealing with a pair of one goal deficits, Penn State women’s soccer was able to battle back and force a 2-2 draw against the Oregon Ducks on Sunday afternoon from Jeffrey Field.
Penn State was the far stronger side in the run of play on. Sunday, with the Blue & White picking up statistical victories in practically every measurable marker. The Nittany Lions once again racked up 22 total shot attempts, their second time doing so in the last three matches. PSU also cracked 20 shots or more in a match for the third time this season, with all three of those opportunities coming during Big Ten Conference competition. The Nittany Lions won the battle on the shot chart by a 22-10 differential and picked up a 6-3 victory in terms of on-target attempts. Penn State also secured a win in the corner kick competition for the third match in a row and matched its season-high in the statistic by winning an 8-2 victory in that category.
Redshirt senior midfielder Julia Raich led the way for the Nittany Lions on the final box score, picking up her fourth goal of the 2025 season to match her single-season career high in the statistic. Raich has now produced the highest scoring season in her collegiate career, racking up 12 points on four goals and four assists this year as one of the program’s three captains. Sophomore defender Bella Ayscue also picked up her second goal of the campaign and third as a collegiate athlete, converting on her first penalty kick attempt at the college level. The second-year Nittany Lion is responsible for the first successful conversion from the spot this year in Happy Valley.
Sophomore forward Aubrey Kulpa earned credit for her sixth assist of the season on Sunday, providing her fifth helper since the start of Big Ten Conference play. The Cromwell, Connecticut, native is up to 39 points through this point in her collegiate career, averaging over a point per match played since arriving in Happy Valley at the start of last season. Four Nittany Lion fielders went the distance in the matinee matchup, with Ayscue and Raich joining redshirt junior defender Kayleigh Herr and redshirt freshman defender Lilly Burger each tallying 90 minutes of effort for the Blue & White. In goal, redshirt junior Mackenzie Gress played all 90 minutes as well, notching a pair of saves with two goals allowed en route to the deadlocked decision.
A high-scoring opening stanza took little time to materialize, with the Ducks able to strike first against the run of play in the fifth minute of action. A field-switching ball from the Ducks took a deflection on its way through the penalty area and ended up on the boot of Abella Hunter, who drove the ball to the far post. Hunters service sailed right onto the head of Carly Cormack, who nudged the ball into the back right corner of the PSU goal for the lid-lifting score. Penn State wasted little time getting the goal back, as a brilliant run from White set the stage for a dangerous Penn State attacking opportunity in the eighth minute. The savvy veteran worked into the 18 and placed a right-footed shot on goal, at which point the Oregon keeper made an initial save. Unfortunately for the Ducks, the ball bounced out of her gloves into a high-traffic area right near the goal mouth. Kulpa was there to slot the ball slightly to her right, where Raich was able to work into a clearing and send a well-timed right-footed ball into the back of the net to level the match at one.
Both squads played well in response to the deadlocked score, with Penn State commanding the majority of the possession over the next few minutes. Unfortunately, bad luck struck for the Nittany Lions once again in the 25th minute of action, when an unfortunate giveaway in the Nittany Lion end allowed Cormack to take control of the ball inside the Penn State box with a one-on-one opportunity against Gress. The Duck attacker chipped the keeper and found the back of the net to give Oregon the lead once again. Penn State would battle tough for the remainder of the period, but the squads returned to the locker room with Oregon leading by a score at the break.
Action remained relatively even in terms of possession and dangerous chances, but the Nittany Lions were able to muster an impressive 12-4 shot differential in the second half of play. Looking far more aggressive over the final 20 minutes of work, Penn State was able to generate a number of quality scoring opportunities but were unable to find the equalizer until the 87th minute of play. White found the ball on her foot yet again for the Nittany Lions, working just outside the penalty box down the right side of the field. A massive side-step dribble allowed White just enough space to work her way into the Duck 18, where she continued her attack down the end line. An overly aggressive Oregon defender made a physical challenge against White, with the referee ultimately awarding a penalty and subjecting the Duck defender to a yellow card. Ayscue was called on to convert from the spot, with the second-year starter able to do so to level the match late. Penn State remained aggressive over the final few minutes but ultimately ran out of time in a 2-2 draw against Oregon from Jeffrey Field.
Following the level result to close out the weekend, Penn State’s overall season record moves to 7-5-3 overall and 3-3-2 in Big Ten Conference matchups with three more opportunities outstanding on the league ledger. Oregon moves to 2-9-4 overall and 0-5-3 in Big Ten play, picking up the program’s third point on the 2025 season. Following the first all-time matchup between the two sides, PSU and Oregon enter the 104th all-time series in Penn State history with an 0-0-1 mark. The Nittany Lions are now 79-20-5 when playing an opponent for the first time in school annals.
SCORING SUMMARY
5’ – A field-switching ball from the Ducks took a deflection on its way through the penalty area and ended up on the boot of Abella Hunter, who drove the ball to the far post. Hunters service sailed right onto the head of Carly Cormack, who nudged the ball into the back right corner of the PSU goal for the lid-lifting score. ORE 1, PSU 0
8’ – A brilliant run from White set the stage for a dangerous Penn State attacking opportunity, with the savvy veteran working into the 18 and placing a right-footed shot on goal. The Oregon keeper made the initial save, but the ball bounced out of her gloves into a high-traffic area right near the goal mouth. Kulpa was there to slot the ball slightly to her right, where Raich was able to work into a clearing and send a well-timed right-footed ball into the back of the net to level the match at one. PSU 1, ORE 1
25’ – An unfortunate giveaway in the Nittany Lion end allowed Cormack to take control of the ball inside the Penn State box with a one-on-one opportunity against Gress. The Duck attacker chipped the keeper and found the back of the net to give Oregon the lead once again. ORE 2, PSU 1
87’ – White found the ball on her foot yet again for the Nittany Lions, working just outside the penalty box down the right side of the field. A massive side-step dribble allowed White just enough space to work her way into the Duck 18, where she continued her attack down the end line. An overly aggressive Oregon defender made a physical challenge against White, with the referee ultimately awarding a penalty and subjecting the Duck defender to a yellow card. Ayscue was called on to convert from the spot, with the second-year starter able to do so to level the match late. PSU 2, ORE 2
UP NEXT
Penn State women's soccer sets out on its final road trip of the 2025 regular season next week with a pair of Big Ten Conference clashes in the Hoosier State of Indiana. The Nittany Lions enter the home stretch with a 7 p.m. (ET) kick against the Purdue Boilermakers from Folk Field next Thursday, October 16, set to stream via B1G+ and the B1G+ 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.