UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women’s soccer continued conference play against the Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday night at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions battled a 2-2 draw during the Play for Her match honoring those who have battled breast cancer.
The result gave the Blue & White another point in Big Ten play, with a 5-2-4 overall record and 3-1-2 mark in conference play. Purdue moved to 10-1-2 and 4-1-1 in the Big Ten.
Penn State brought the pressure in the second half to nearly find three points out of the contest. The Blue & White outshot the Boilermakers 13-7, including a 10-4 advantage in the second half, with a 6-1 corner kick advantage that featured four tries in the final frame.
The seven shots conceded set a new season low for Purdue who entered the match as the highest scoring offense in the country and the most shots per match nationally.
Junior forward Aubrey Kulpa used some nifty dribbling to score her sixth goal of the season, fourth in Big Ten Conference action, in the 66th minute of the match to ultimately earn Penn State the draw just minutes after Purdue took the lead. Kulpa finished with a match-high four shots.
Freshman midfielder Emma Johnson earned an assist on the Cromwell, Connecticut native’s goal, her first point of her career. Johnson missed six matches this season while representing the United States at the U-20 World Cup.
Senior forward Paige Kalal scored her fourth goal of the season from the penalty spot in the 15th minute to open the match’s scoring. It was Kalal’s second penalty kick goal of the 2026 campaign. She also assisted Kulpa’s goal, her fourth of the season to give the Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native 12 points on the season.
FIRST HALF
Penn State kicked off with momentum, gaining possession in the first few minutes of the half. Purdue attempted a breakaway through the Nittany Lion defense, but graduate defender Lily Boyden was on the heels of the Boilermaker forward. The Salt Lake City, Utah native was able to maneuver the ball away from any damage to the scoreboard.
The Nittany Lions continued to apply pressure behind an amped Jeffery Field crowd as Kulpa entered the 18-yard box and was fouled by the Purdue keeper. The Boilermakers called for a challenge, but it was unsuccessful as the play would stand.
Kalal lined up for the penalty kick and buried the shot to the left side of the net. With her strike, the Nittany Lions took the early lead in the 15th minute of play.
The Boilermakers’ offense found a path in the 28th minute to even the score with a goal inside the box.
The final 10 minutes of the half were played mostly in the midfield as Penn State and Purdue went back-and-forth searching for the go-ahead shot. Neither side would find the chance during a physical few minutes to end the frame that saw multiple fouls on both ends.
SECOND HALF
The Nittany Lions continued the second half with similar intensity. On the defensive end, the Blue & White shut down multiple Purdue attempts before the offense could get settled until the Boilermakers took the lead in the 62nd minute of the match.
Just over a minute later freshman forward Anna Babcock looked to equalize on a free kick inside the attacking third. Babcock’s strike snuck past all defenders but was saved by the Purdue keeper in a diving effort.
Penn State continued to push for the equalizer, and they found it in the 66th minute. Kalal found Johnson in the midfield who then dumped the ball deep to Kulpa. The junior forward then dribbled past three Purdue defenders to the center of the box to level the match with a beautiful, left-footed strike to bring the Jeffrey Field crowd back into it.
The Nittany Lions carried the momentum into their attack as shots by senior Kaelyn Wolfe and redshirt freshman Nicole Crane were saved in the 78th and 80th minutes, respectively. Following the two chances, the Blue & White earned three additional corner kicks and two more shots but could not find the winning tally as the match finished in a 2-2 draw.
SCORING SUMMARY
15’ - PSU 1, PUR 0: Paige Kalal (4).
28’ - PSU 1, PUR 1: Megan Santa Cruz (6). Assisted by Jaiden Anderson (6) and Rosa Maalouf (3).
62’ - PSU 1, PUR 2: Jaiden Anderson (11).
66’ - PSU 2, PUR 2: Aubrey Kulpa (6). Assisted by Emma Johnson (1) and Paige Kalal (4).
UP NEXT
Penn State will take its first trip to the Pacific Northwest for conference contests as the Nittany Lions will head to Eugene for a matchup with Oregon on Thursday, October 8 at 9 p.m. (ET). It will be just the second meeting between the two programs following a 1-1 draw at Jeffrey Field a season ago.
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.