WVU Women’s Soccer Drops Match at #14 Penn State

The West Virginia Mountaineers (1-2-0) fell to the #14 Penn State Nittany Lions (2-1-0), 3-1, in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon. Taylor White was the lone goal-scorer for the Mountaineers in the loss. Read more: WVU Women’s Soccer Drops Match at #14 Penn State

Second Top 15 Test

After giving the #15 Virginia Cavaliers a run for their money in the season opener, WVU bounced back against Akron. The Mountaineers went right back to work against the second ranked opponent on the schedule. 

Penn State came into Sunday’s contest riding high after beating #23 St. Louis, 4-1, on Thursday. WVU sealed a shutout on the same evening against the Zips, but Sunday’s match was a different story. 

The Nittany Lions’ only blemish in the first trio of matches on their schedule was a 3-2 loss to #4 Duke. PSU is no stranger to stiff competition this year, and it showed on Sunday.

Early Deficit

After a war of attrition early on, Penn State capitalized in the 12th minute. 44 seconds after WVU’s Olivia Shertzer was called for a foul, the Nittany Lions struck. 

Freshman defender Hannah Jordan found the back of the net, finding a hole in the bottom right area. This marked a milestone for the Texas native, as the goal was Jordan’s first at the collegiate level. 

The remainder of the first half was a back-and-forth affair between the two programs. The Mountaineers were unable to capitalize on any of the three corner kicks awarded to them in the first 45 minutes. 

Second Half Blues

In the 49th minute, the Nittany Lions added on. Amelia White tallied the first goal of her senior season, assisted by Julia Raich and Aubrey Kulpa. Penn State would strike while the iron was hot. 

Less than two minutes later, PSU capitalized again. WVU goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith allowed her third goal of the match, this time from Julia Raich. By the 51st minute, the Mountaineers were down 3-0. 

Bailey Herfurth replaced Mackenzie Smith in goal shortly after, playing the final 33 minutes. Taylor White put West Virginia on the board in the 65th minute, but it was not enough. 

Related: WVU Tennis Fall Schedule Released

Final Wrap

A defensive chess match took place in the final 25 minutes, leaving the score 3-1 until the buzzer. WVU dropped its second match of the season and will have until Thursday to prepare for a bounce-back. 

The Mountaineers will be back home at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium on August 28th to face Duquesne. After Sunday’s loss, WVU is now 7-15-3 all-time against Penn State. The Nittany Lions have won six straight in the series. 

For more soccer coverage and all things West Virginia sports, stay up to date with WV Sports Nation.