UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 14 Penn State women's soccer program earned its first win of the season by shutting out Duquesne 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field.
After a two-hour weather delay, the Nittany Lions squared off in their second match of the season after tying No. 19 Georgetown 2-2 in their season opener on Thursday.
The Blue & White saw an uptick in their offense, putting up 20 shots against Duquesne compared to 12 shots against Georgetown. PSU also had 11 corner kicks, one of which converted to a goal, versus six corner kicks versus the Hoyas on Thursday.
"I thought we were a little bit more dangerous than what we were doing against Georgetown," head coach Erica Dambach said. "We had the ball a lot on Thursday, but we weren't dangerous. Today, I think we had a better mentality."
PSU's defense limited both the Dukes and Hoyas to five shots total, but on Sunday, the Nittany Lions' starting keeper redshirt Katherine Asman earned a clean sheet and two saves in a combined effort with senior+ Morgan Messner.
The match marked the first shutout for PSU since Oct. 13, 2021 when the Nittany Lions beat Indiana 3-0 at Jeffrey Field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State struck first in the 12th minute as senior Kate Wiesner battled a defender to the end line before sending a cross to fellow senior Payton Linnehan who struck the ball of her left foot into the net for her 19th career goal.
The Nittany Lions would score again in the 41st minute when freshman Amelia White took the ball away from the Dukes, made a move to the outside and sent a arcing cross toward the box. It was headed into the goal by junior Elle Kershner for her first goal since the spring of 2021.
Kershner said of her goal, "It was awesome. I saw the ball coming in, and I was like I can't miss it, it was so surreal."
White's assist is the second of her career after notching her first in the season opener with Georgetown.
PSU made it 3-0 in the 46th minute as Wiesner made a corner kick into the box. Senior+ Cassie Hiatt headed the ball up beyond the keeper's punch to open space where redshirt senior Ally Schlegel was ready to head it in for her 36th career goal.
The goal brought Wiesner her second assist, marking the first time a Nittany Lion notched two helpers since Aug. 19, 2021 when Linnehan had two assists versus UMass.
The goal was also a special connection between Hiatt and Schlegel who grew up together in Parker, Colorado and are teammates again after Hiatt transferred from Texas Tech to Penn State or her fifth year of eligibility.
Penn State is now 4-0 against the Dukes dating back to their first contest in 1995. The Nittany Lions have out-scored Duquesne 18-0 in those matches.
The Nittany Lions are now 1-0-1 on the season while Duquesne is 1-1-0.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions remain at home for their next match with non-conference opponent West Virginia at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Jeffrey Field. The match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
"West Virginia is always a pretty big rivalry for us," Linnehan said. "It's a pretty intense game. Very aggressive. We've played them a few times in my career, and it's always a bloodbath. So, it's going to be a big fight. It's going to be a soccer game, but it's also going to be a mental and physical game."
The Penn State women's soccer season is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
