ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Penn State women’s soccer earned a 2-2 draw against No. 24 Michigan on Sunday afternoon at U-M Soccer Stadium. The Nittany Lions now sit at 8-3-5 (6-2-3 Big Ten) on the season while Michigan is 7-4-5 (5-4-2 Big Ten).
Junior forward Aubrey Kulpa notched her eighth goal of the season, tying her career-high set a season ago, and now has 20 points to lead Penn State. Freshman forward Ellie Kocher tallied the first assist of her collegiate career on the play.
Redshirt sophomore defender Lilly Burger registered her third goal of the season, all on headers with a first half score. Junior defender Bella Ayscue notched her third assist and fifth point on the goal.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress made seven saves in the match, her second-highest total of the season. She is just two saves away from tying her single season high.
Sophomore midfielder Dikte Bang made her return to the pitch for the first time since the season opener against then-No. 2 Notre Dame on August 16. She logged 24 minutes of action as a substitute.
FIRST HALF
Penn State dominated the possession early as the Nittany Lions had the ball inside the Michigan offensive zone for much of the opening five minutes, firing off three shots along the way.
The Blue & White tallied the first two corners of the afternoon Corners around the 13-minute mark. The team could not convert but continued to apply pressure. The Wolverines secured a dangerous free kick opportunity outside the box, but the shot was off target at 17:50.
Burger gave PSU the early 1-0 edge at the 20:13 mark of the frame with a header from a few steps inside the 18. Ayscue serviced a pass to Burger who sent a header up and over the head of the Michigan keeper. It was her third goal of the season, all on headers.
Kulpa nearly doubled the lead after she found herself behind the Michigan back line inside the box. She fired a shot that was saved and eventually cleared by the Wolverine keeper. Kocher took two shots that were both off target before the 30-minute mark.
Things began to get chippy at U-M Soccer Stadium as senior defender Kaelyn Wolfe dribbled through the defense before being tripped up from behind. Michigan was booked with a yellow card on the play at 35:11. Just over four minutes later, the Wolverines were issued another caution after sophomore midfielder Kennedy Ring was pushed after she drew a free kick.
Neither side would record another shot as Penn State would go into the half with a 1-0 advantage.
SECOND HALF
The Nittany Lions earned a dangerous free kick at 52:41. Senior forward Paige Kalal lined up for the shot outside the box, but it went just wide. Gress made back-to-back acrobatic saves in the 57th minute on Michigan corner kick opportunities to keep the team ahead.
At the 64:34 mark of the period, Bang made her way into the box before receiving contact inside the 18 and falling to the turf. A penalty was called initially then reversed after a Michigan challenge. The Wolverines tied the match at 1-1 at the 67:07 mark.
Michigan was booked with its third yellow at the 75:04 mark. Just a few minutes later, Kocher made an impressive run down the pitch, working herself around multiple Wolverines, before firing a shot toward the goal. The Michigan keeper slowed the shot down enough for Kulpa to clean it up for her eighth score of the season in the 80th minute.
Michigan evened the score at the 84:06 mark. Two corresponding yellow cards were issued in the 86th minute as the two sides battled to break the tie. Gress saved two more shots before the match would conclude in a 2-2 draw.
SCORING SUMMARY
21’ - PSU 1, U-M 0: Lilly Burger (3). Assisted by Bella Ayscue (3)
68’ - PSU 1, U-M 1: Elle Ervin (4). Assisted by Lilly Bosley (6)
80’ - PSU 2, U-M 1: Aubrey Kulpa (8). Assisted by Ellie Kocher (1)
85’ - PSU 2, U-M 2: Elle Ervin (5). Assisted by Anabella Egeland (1)
UP NEXT
Penn State will conclude the regular season at home against Indiana on Friday, October 30. The Nittany Lions and Hoosiers are slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Jeffrey Field with a live stream on B1G+. The program will celebrate Halloween with its Kick or Treat match theme.
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.