Penn State Opens Postseason Play in B1G Quarterfinals Against No. 20 UCLA
Sixth-seeded Nittany Lions face third-seeded Bruins in Saturday night matchup from West Lafayette
#20 UCLA vs. Penn State
10-4-3 | 6-2-3 B1G
9-6-3 | 5-4-2 B1G
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Sixth-seeded Penn State women's soccer kicks off its 30th appearance in the Big Ten Conference Tournament this Saturday, November 1, as the Nittany Lions face off against the third-seeded and 20th-ranked UCLA Bruins in a quarterfinal matchup from Folk Field on the campus of Purdue University. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected devices.
Follow the Action
FOLLOW THE ACTION
For fans unable to attend Penn State’s Big Ten Conference Tournament quarterfinal against UCLA, the contest will stream live to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ App on connected devices. J.J. Palmer and Max Bury will call the action from the Folk Field press box. The link to tune into Penn State’s battle with the Bruins from West Lafayette is available here. Live stats, provided by the Big Ten Conference, Purdue University and StatBroadcast, are available at the link here. To purchase tickets for Saturday’s quarterfinal, click the link here. For further information on the Folk Field match day experience, click the link here. To view the Big Ten Conference Tournament Central webpage, click here.
KICKIN’ IT
The Blue & White earned a first round bye in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since the league's postseason event expanded to 10 teams last season, picking up the No. 6 seed. Penn State remains the only program in conference history to appear in all 30 Big Ten Tournaments and stands as the league's all-time winningest team with 20 B1G regular season titles and nine B1G Tournament crowns. Penn State has been powered by a potent offensive unit over the course of the 2025 campaign, with the Nittany Lions generating the second-highest-scoring attack in the Big Ten Conference in terms of total points with 104 while notching the third-most total goals in the league with 34. In conference play alone, Penn State owns the second-most points (59) and goals (19) across all 18 women's soccer programs. On an individual basis, the Nittany Lions have been headlined by a two-headed monster in the attack comprised of sophomore forward Aubrey Kulpa and graduate forward Kaitlyn MacBean. MacBean and Kulpa are tied for the team lead in 2025 with eight goals while the Excelsior, Minnesota, native and returning All-B1G First Team selection MacBean finished the league slate as the conference's leading goal scorer with seven tallies in league matchups. Redshirt senior midfielder Riley Gleason paces the roster with nine assists, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress serves as the last line of defense with a team-high 45 saves.
PSU is fresh off an impressive 2-0 performance in the regular season finale against the Ohio State Buckeyes, with the Nittany Lions capitalizing on an own goal and insurance tally by MacBean to book the final result. Penn State amassed a striking 17-9 differential on the final shot chart with four student-athletes recording multi-shot matches. PSU also notched a solid 7-3 edge in shots on goal, marking the team’s first win in on-target attempts since notching a 6-3 edge against Oregon on October 12. MacBean notched her seventh goal in Big Ten Conference competition to extend her league-best mark in the statistic. The Excelsior, Minnesota, native is up to eight goals on the campaign and 17 points on the season, rising to 37 career goals and 84 points. MacBean is the nation’s fifth-leading career goal scorer among active collegians and ranks 11th in Division I in total points.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
The Nittany Lion women's soccer program stands as the most dominant team in Big Ten Conference history by every statistical measure, highlighted by an astonishing 20 Big Ten regular season titles and nine Big Ten Tournament championship victories. PSU owns more total conference championships than the rest of the league's 17 combined member institutions in women's soccer. PSU boasts a 41-15-6 overall record in the Big Ten Women's Soccer Tournament, highlighted by 25 victories in neutral site matches and an astonishing 12-2-0 record on Jeffrey Field, good enough for an 0.857 winning percentage in B1G Tournament opportunities. Penn State will play in its fifth all-time Big Ten Tournament match in West Lafayette this week, with PSU owning a 3-1-0 record in the four prior contests. The Nittany Lions collected their third Big Ten Tournament title in program history at Purdue in 2001, with PSU downing Northwestern, Ohio State and Illinois while outscoring their foes by a 7-1 margin in that span.
PREVIOUSLY… ON THE B1G TOURNAMENT
Penn State returns to the 10-team Big Ten Tournament field yet again in 2025, fresh off a quarterfinal appearance after coming away with a crucial 1-0 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers last season to advance on the road. PSU has booked at least one victory in the league’s postseason tournament in every year since the 2021 campaign. Penn State made its 29th appearance in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals all-time last season, appearing in that round in every year of the tournament’s existence. The Blue & White utilized a set piece score from then-senior defender Mieke Schiemann to bury the host-Golden Gophers last season in a 1-0 result, before dropping their quarterfinal test to UCLA by that same margin.
Next Up: #20 UCLA
BRAVING THE BRUINS
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach Margueritte Aozasa, the UCLA Bruins enter the postseason as the reigning Big Ten Tournament champion and boasts a 10-4-3 overall record coupled with a 6-2-3 finish in the league's regular season. The Bruins boast one of the most dominant defensive units in the nation, allowing just five goals on the year while logging 12 shutouts for a team goals-against average of 0.29 to lead Division I. UCLA enters the postseason riding a four-match unbeaten streak thanks to a pair of scoreless draws against Minnesota and USC in addition to a pair of 3-0 results over the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Bruins have faced off against seven opponents that are currently ranked by United Soccer Coaches, highlighted by wins over No. 2 Stanford, No. 13 Iowa and No. 17 Georgia, while logging a 1-1 tie against No. 9 Michigan State. On an individual basis, sophomore forward Bella Winn leads the way in terms of total points and total goals with 13 and six, respectively. Emma Egizii leads the way in the passing game with five assists, while freshman netminder Daphne Nakfoor paces the roster with a 0.36 GAA and .857 save percentage.
STORY OF THE SERIES
Penn State and UCLA will square off on the pitch for ninth time in history this Saturday, with the Nittany Lions narrowly trailing the Bruins by a 4-3-1 differential. PSU and UCLA will battle for the third time in the last two years and will face off in the Big Ten Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season. This marks the third meeting of the Nittany Lions and Bruins as B1G competitors all-time. UCLA is unbeaten against the Blue & White in each of the last four contests, winning thrice and playing to an additional scoreless draw in that span. PSU faced off against the Bruins for the first time since 2018 a year ago in Los Angeles, picking up a point on the road with the level result. Last season's Big Ten Tournament matchup pitted the second-seeded Bruins against the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium in Saint Paul, Minnesota. UCLA utilized a tally in the 36th minute and buckled down defensively to pick up the quarterfinal victory. UCLA would go on to win each of its next two matches by a combined seven goals, highlighted by an eye-popping 5-0 thrashing of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the tournament final to secure the program's first B1G postseason crown.
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.