PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Sparked by a goal of the year candidate from senior forward Amelia White in the first half of play and delivered by an 80th-minute match-winner from graduate forward Kaitlyn MacBean, the Penn State women’s soccer team battled for an impressive 2-1 road victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Saturday evening from Yurcak Field.
Following Penn State’s second consecutive 2-1 road victory, the Nittany Lions improve to 7-4-2 overall and 3-2-1 in Big Ten Conference competitions through the first seven opportunities of league play. The Blue & White continued their recent run of success against the Scarlet Knights, going unbeaten against their rivals to the east in each of the last four matchups while going 3-0-1 against Rutgers in that span. The series also moved back to an even .500 mark since both teams began competing as B1G foes, with the set now locked at 6-6-4 dating to the 2014 season. In defeat, Rutgers moves to 3-4-4 overall and 1-4-1 in league action, with the Scarlet Knights set to return to work at Illinois on Thursday, October 9.
The Nittany Lions published one of their most thoroughly impressive team results on Saturday against the Scarlet Knights, commanding statistical differentials in practically every facet of the match. In the battle for possession, the Nittany Lions won the battle and maintained possession in the attacking half of the field for 60 percent of its time with the ball, helping spark multiple offensive chances throughout the fixture. PSU won the battle on the shot chart for the ninth time and managed to muster its second-highest shot total of the 2025 season with 22 total tries, 11 in each half. PSU out-shot Rutgers by a 22-9 margin and racked up a 10-5 margin in shots on goal, doubling the Scarlet Knights up on their home field. The Nittany Lions also managed to eke out a 6-5 win in the corner kick competition, rising to 3-1-0 when outcornering their opponents this year.
A pair of veteran leaders led the way for the Blue & White in Saturday’s showdown against the Scarlet Knights, with White and MacBean teaming up to provide both of the tallies for the Nittany Lion attack. White, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, found the back of the net for the fourth time this season and ninth time in her collegiate career, providing the Nittany Lions with one of the highlight goals of the year thus far in the opening 45 minutes of play. White tallied for the second match in a row fresh off providing the lid-lifter in Penn State’s win at Northwestern last Sunday, September 28.
Meanwhile, MacBean found the back of the net for the seventh time this season while providing her first match-winning score of the 2025 campaign, marking her first match winner since netting the only score in PSU’s 1-0 victory over TCU in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament from Tallahassee, Florida. The Excelsior, Minnesota native is now up to 36 total goals and 12 match winners in her PSU career while providing her sixth goal in six Big Ten Conference matches this season. Additionally, freshman midfielder Sophia Weixler found her name on the final box score for the first time in her collegiate career on Saturday, providing a helper on White’s goal to mark her first point and assist as a collegian.
A colossal battle broke out between the pipes, with Saturday’s action featuring two of the best goalkeepers the Big Ten Conference has to offer in PSU’s Mackenzie Gress and Rutgers’ Olivia Bodmer. Both keepers went the distance for their respective sides and turned in a myriad of herculean stops, but Gress was able to come away with the winning decision in her home state. The Lyndhurst, New Jersey, native turned back a quartet of Scarlet Knight tries and allowed a single score, while Bodmer allowed a pair while stopping eight. In the field for the Nittany Lions, four student-athletes contributed the full 90 minutes, with the modified back line of redshirt junior defender Kayleigh Herr, sophomore defender Bella Ayscue, redshirt senior midfielder Julia Raich and redshirt freshman Lilly Burger accomplishing that feat on Saturday.
The first 45 minutes of action opened with the field tilted firmly in Penn State’s favor, with the Nittany Lions impressing right out of the gates with 11 shots and four corner kicks earned. Action remained deadlocked against the run of play for over half an hour, but the Nittany Lions were able to break through in the 32nd. Physical play on the near side of the pitch caused some commotion for both teams, but Weixler was able to control the ball long enough to slot a centering ball toward the penalty arc. White was there to collect for the Nittany Lions, who dribbled to her right and unleashed a merciless right-footed banger into the bottom left corner of the Scarlet Knight net to put the Blue & White out front early. Penn State’s attack remained opportunistic but was unable to net a second tally before both teams returned to the locker room at the halftime intermission.
Out of the break, Rutgers wasted little time getting the tally back, as Julia Joseph and Ashley Baran connected down the far side of the pitch to generate an attacking opportunity for the Scarlet Knights, with Baran able to deliver a high-arching service into the box. Kennedi Cotter was on the receiving end of the long service, with the Rutgers attacker bodying the ball into the back of the net past a chaotic but valiant save attempt from Gress. The match remained knotted at one headed into the final 10 minutes of play, but the Nittany Lions got their breakthrough tally from MacBean in the 80th. Weixler battled through the central portion of the pitch and created a dangerous scoring chance for the Nittany Lions, passing the ball forward to MacBean on the near side of the field around 25 yards out. MacBean battled into the penalty area and utilized a crafty dribble to cross the ball over onto her left foot, which she used to pelt the ball toward the Scarlet Knight net. MacBean’s try took a friendly bounce off the far post into the back of the net, netting the Nittany Lions the match-winning score to finalize the 2-1 road win.
SCORING SUMMARY
32’ – Physical play on the near side of the pitch caused some commotion for both teams, but Weixler was able to control the ball long enough to slot a centering ball toward the penalty arc. White was there to collect for the Nittany Lions, who dribbled to her right and unleashed a merciless right-footed banger into the bottom left corner of the Scarlet Knight net to put the Blue & White out front early. PSU 1, RUT 0
47’ –Joseph and Baran connected down the far side of the pitch to generate an attacking opportunity for the Scarlet Knights, with Baran able to deliver a high-arching service into the box. Cotter was on the receiving end of the long service, with the Rutgers attacker bodying the ball into the back of the net past a chaotic but valiant save attempt from Gress. PSU 1, RUT 1
80’ – Weixler battled through the central portion of the pitch and created a dangerous scoring chance for the Nittany Lions, passing the ball forward to MacBean on the near side of the pitch around 25 yards out. MacBean battled into the penalty area and utilized a crafty dribble to cross the ball over onto her left foot, which she used to pelt the ball toward the Scarlet Knight net. MacBean’s try took a friendly bounce off the far post into the back of the net, netting the Nittany Lions the match-winning score in the 80th minute of work. PSU 2, RUT 1
UP NEXT
Penn State women's soccer returns home to the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field for a two-match homestand next weekend, as the Blue & White welcome a pair of B1G challengers from the Pacific Northwest. Next week's action kicks off on Thursday, October 9, with a 7 p.m. (ET) start against the Washington Huskies on 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.