UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 10 Penn State women's soccer flexed its defensive muscles and withstood a 45-minute lightning delay in a scoreless season-opening draw with the second-ranked and defending national runner-up North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday night. The Nittany Lions welcomed 3,102 fans to Jeffrey Field, the 10th-largest women's soccer crowd in Penn State history.
With the first match of the season in the books, both the Nittany Lions and Tar Heels move to 0-0-1 to start the year. Penn State's track record of success on Jeffrey Field in season-opening matches continued Thursday, with the Blue & White moving to 15-1-3 overall when opening the season at home. In its 30th all-time home-opener, PSU moved to 22-3-5 and 8-2-4 when tested against a nationally ranked foe in Jeffrey Field's season debut.
Despite North Carolina running up a striking 19-5 overall advantage in total shots, the Nittany Lions managed to place more shots on target in the match, outshooting UNC by a 3-2 margin. The corner kick battle went the Tar Heels' way, 3-2, with all three North Carolina corners coming in the match's first 10 minutes of play. Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan, senior defender Eva Alonso and redshirt junior forward Kaitlyn MacBean all mustered shots on goal for the Nittany Lions, while senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke and senior defender Ellie Wheeler were the only two PSU athletes to play all 90 minutes in the field.
Between the posts, Penn State captain and graduate goalkeeper Katherine Asman led the way with a two-save shutout, the 19th clean sheet of her already-storied collegiate career. Asman and her North Carolina counterpart, Emmie Allen, each recorded 90 minutes of work and finished the night with a deadlocked decision, moving both keeper records to 0-0-1. For Allen, the Tar Heel shotstopper tallied three saves with zero goals allowed, highlighted by a miraculous finger-tip rejection of MacBean's second-half banger attempt.
North Carolina got things started with a possession-focused opening stanza, building out of the back line and holding a strong position in the Nittany Lion attacking midfield. UNC's offense attempted the first 10 shots of the contest, but only one was put on target. Tar Heel midfielder Talia Dellaperuta launched a ball toward the bottom right corner of the net, but Asman was in perfect position to safely corral the only noteworthy Carolina attempt of the first half hour.
Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan got things going with the first Nittany Lion shot on target in the 38th minute. From that point forward, a true back-and-forth affair unfolded between the two storied programs. PSU utilized a throw-in deep in the Tar Heel's defending zone to build one last attacking opportunity before the break, as senior defender Eva Alonso pelted a ball with her right foot into Allen's control. Both squads entered the intermission deadlocked at nil.
Coming out of the break, UNC continued to attempt long-range shot attempts in the Nittany Lion end of the field to no avail. Penn State's defense produced a clutch outing that included five blocked shots overall coupled with only one on-target attempt in the second frame. Penn State's offense remained opportunistic, seizing on a pair of momentary Tar Heel lapses to place critical shots on frame. MacBean's heart-stopping shot in the 64th minute proved to be the best chance at breaking the deadlock all evening, with Allen's outstretched glove knicking the bottom of the ball to prevent the lid-lifter. After a 45-minute lightning delay with just nine-and-a-half minutes left to go, both teams battened down the hatches defensively and escaped with the scoreless draw.
UP NEXT
No. 10 Penn State women's soccer remains at home in Happy Valley for the second leg of its season-opening homestand, as the Nittany Lions welcome the reigning NCAA Division II runner-up West Chester Golden Rams. Kickoff from Jeffrey Field on Sunday, Aug. 20, is slated for 1 p.m. (ET) with live streaming available via B1G+ and the B1G+ app.
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.
The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
