UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 3 Penn State women’s soccer took a one-goal lead into halftime, but the No. 21 Virginia Cavaliers rallied for a pair of scores in the final 45 to take a 2-1 upset win on Jeffrey Field Thursday evening.
Penn State University welcomed incoming freshman students and their families back to campus on Thursday, with the Nittany Lion women’s soccer match against Virginia serving as the backdrop for the program’s annual March to the Match event. PSU’s March to the Match provided an electric atmosphere, with 1,603 fans filing into the stands highlighted by a jam-packed Park Avenue Army student section. The Blue & White also honored Nittany Lion women’s soccer alumna, two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion and current Penn State Board of Trustees member Ali Krieger in a halftime ceremony, welcoming the 2006 B1G Defender of the Year back to her home pitch.
In defeat, the Nittany Lions suffer just their second regular season home loss in the last two seasons, as well as the second regular season defeat overall since the start of the 2023 campaign against then-No. 2 North Carolina in last year’s March to the Match opener. PSU moves to 1-1-0 overall, while the Cavaliers improve to 3-0-0 following a pair of victories at home last week in Charlottesville. In the all-time series, UVA moves slightly ahead of the Blue & White by a 9-8-1 tally since the first fixture in 1997.
Despite the final scoreline, Penn State looked effective and efficient on both ends of the pitch. The Nittany Lions were prolific on the attacking end, dominating the final shot margin by a striking 20-9 overall tally. PSU also managed to surpass the Cavaliers in shot on goal attempts, winning the statistic by a 7-6 final line. Virginia was opportunistic with their chances, securing both of their goals in the 54th minute onward, while simultaneously racking up a 6-3 differential in corner kicks. The only caution of the match came in the second half against a Virginia student-athlete for time wasting.
Redshirt senior forward Kaitlyn MacBean continued her scoring streak in Thursday night’s result, securing a goal in her fifth consecutive match dating to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament against Santa Clara. Since that outing, MacBean has mustered at least one goal against Clemson in last year’s Elite Eight, Texas Tech in this year’s opener and Thursday night against Virginia, in addition to a brace that helped propel PSU to the national…
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