UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women’s soccer continued conference play against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday night with the two sides battling to a 1-1 draw during the annual White Out presented by MITER Brands at Jeffrey Field.
The tie gave the Blue & White one more point in Big Ten play, a 4-2-3 overall record and 2-1-1 record in conference play. Iowa moved to 5-2-4 and a 0-1-3 mark in the Big Ten.
Junior forward Aubrey Kulpa tallied a goal in the fifth minute of the match, her fourth of the season. Kulpa took sole possession of the team lead in goals in addition to registering her 11th point, also a team-high. Senior defender Brooklyn Antonucci tallied her first assist in the Blue & White on the score.
The Nittany Lions outshot the Hawkeyes by a 15-12 margin with eight of those shots on target. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Macknezie Gress made four saves, bringing her season total to 35.
Freshman midfielder Emma Johnson made her first appearance for Penn State and played her first minutes at Jeffrey Field since representing the United States U-20 World Cup in Poland.
FIRST HALF
The Nittany Lions started the night on fire as soon as the first whistle sounded. Penn State’s offense looked for an early chance when senior forward Paige Kalal sent a shot from inside in the 18-yard box in the second minute. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native was slightly off by a few inches.
With constant pressure in the first minutes of the game, it wasn’t long until the Blue & White found the back of the net. In the fifth minute of the match, Antonucci saw an opening and found the left foot of Kulpa. The Cromwell, Connecticut native was able to hit the bottom right of the goal and scored the first tally of the game. Penn State took the early lead of the game.
As Penn State continued to push the pace, redshirt senior defender Kayleigh Harr nearly found the back of the net on a shot off a corner kick but was denied by the Iowa keeper in the eighth minute.
The Hawkeyes eventually earned back-to-back corners in the 18th minute, but the Penn State defense remained in control and cleared any attempt Iowa might have made. An aggressive matchup between the two Big Ten opponents led to the first warning of the match in the 39th minute as Iowa was booked with a yellow card.
Penn State took nine shots compared to just two for Iowa in the first half as the Nittany Lions would go into the locker room with a 1-0 edge.
SECOND HALF
Penn State continued to have control of the pitch as the second half commenced. In the 51st minute, Johnson earned the first chance of the half with a long distance shot that was saved. A few moments later, Babcock sent another shot that forced a stop by the Iowa keeper. Johnson and Babcock tied for the team-high with three shots each.
As the match grew more intense, redshirt senior midfielder Molly Martin was booked for a yellow card in the 59th minute. Iowa challenged the play for a red card but to no avail as the incidental contact did not warrant anything extra.
On the other side of the field, Gress recorded her first save of the match at the 61:19 mark of the contest. Iowa continued to gain possessions as it looked for chances to level the score. In the 71st minute, the Hawkeyes were able to find the back of the net.
In the 81st minute, Iowa received its second yellow card of the night. The Nittany Lions looked for a late match-winning opportunity, and nearly found a great chance, but an offside call shut it down. The match would conclude with a 1-1 draw.
SCORING SUMMARY
5’ - PSU 1, IOWA 0: Aubrey Kulpa (4). Assisted by Brooklyn Antonucci (1).
71’ - PSU 1, IOWA 1: Sara Batchadji (2). Assisted by Berit Parten (6).
UP NEXT
Penn State will stay in Happy Valley for a matchup with USC on Sunday. The match will serve as the annual THON Match, and the team will honor members of the military during Military Appreciation festivities. Kickoff between the Nittany Lions and Trojans at Jeffrey Field is slated for 1 p.m. (ET) with a live stream on B1G+.
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.