COLUMBUS, Ohio - Penn State women’s soccer came up short against No. 6 Ohio State in a 1-0 result on Thursday night at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
The Nittany Lions put together a strong offensive showing despite not finding the back of the net as the Blue & White recorded 16 shots, 11 of which came in the second half. That mark is the second-most this season behind the 19 shots in the 6-0 victory over Brown earlier in the season. PSU also held a decisive 7-2 edge in corner kicks against the Buckeyes.
Junior forward Aubrey Kulpa totaled a season-high five shots, which led all student-athletes on either side. Sophomore midfielder Kennedy Ring registered a career-high of three shots in the contest. Senior forward Paige Kalal joined her with three shots.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress increased her save total to 25 with four more against Ohio State.
FIRST HALF
The Nittany Lions opened the contest on the attack with freshman forward Ellie Kocher registering the first shot on goal of the contest at the 5:48 mark. A few minutes later Kocher and Kalal continued to push the pace with two shots inside the penalty box that were blocked by Buckeye defenders.
Ohio State scored the first goal of the contest at the 19:10 mark of the first half. It was the first time this season PSU did not score first after notching the first tally in the previous five outings.
Following the score, the Nittany Lion offense forced four corner kick opportunities within a three-minute span but were unable to find the back of the net. The Blue & White finished the half with a 6-0 edge in corner kick opportunities.
SECOND HALF
Penn State opened the second half in search of the equalizer. The offense earned some early chances as a shot by Ring was blocked before another strike went wide off Kulpa’s foot at the 58:10 mark.
Kulpa continued to lead the Blue & White attack as she quickly turned on a ball outside the box and just missed the back of the net as her blast bounced off the crossbar just under 20 minutes into the frame.
Gress and the Penn State back line kept the Buckeyes off the scoreboard with some key saves and blocks at the 70:09 mark in the half. Ohio State had a breakaway opportunity that Gress shut down before it was cleaned up by graduate defender Lily Boyden.
PSU continued to battle with multiple shots that nearly found their way into the net but were unable to score the equalizer as the match would conclude with a 1-0 result.
SCORING SUMMARY
20’ - PSU 0, OSU 1: Jadin Bonham (2). Assisted by Amanda Schlueter (2).
UP NEXT
Penn State will return home to host the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Sunday, September 13. Kickoff from Jeffrey Field is scheduled for noon (ET) with a national broadcast on Big Ten Network.
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.