UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 10 Penn State women's soccer utilized a dominant offensive outing and total team effort to book the program's first victory of the 2023 season, downing the West Chester Golden Rams by an 8-0 tally Sunday afternoon on Jeffrey Field. The Blue & White set single-match records for both shots and corner kick attempts in the contest.
In the Nittany Lion attacking onslaught, the Blue & White unleashed 45 total shots coupled with 24 shots on goal overall. PSU's previous single-match record for shots in a contest was 45, set against the Michigan Wolverines on Nov. 7, 2010, during the Big Ten Tournament. The Blue & White also bested a nearly 22-year-old record for corner kicks, logging 20 in Sunday's match and surpassing the previous tally of 19 that was recorded on Sept. 28, 2001, in a match at Purdue.
The Blue & White improved to 1-0-1 on the young 2023 season following Sunday's win, marking the third consecutive season and 16th overall that PSU has started unbeaten through its first two matches. Due to NCAA regulations regarding inter-division play, West Chester utilized the contest as a preseason exhibition match and will open its 2023 campaign on the road at Jefferson in Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 1 p.m.
Penn State played 25 members of its 30-woman roster on Sunday, with no player seeing more than an hour on the pitch. The Blue & White dominated every statistical category, winning the shot battle by a 45-2 margin and cruising to a 24-0 differential in shots on goal. The Nittany Lions attempted 20 corners to WCU's one and committed three fewer fouls in the match overall. Penn State was led in the box score by a dominating performance from redshirt-sophomore midfielder Julia Raich, who scored the first two goals of her collegiate career in addition to logging her first collegiate assist. The Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, native set career highs for shots (six), shots on goal (four) and minutes played (59).
Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan also booked a brace in the match, scoring twice on five shots and three shots on goal in just 31 minutes. Senior+ midfielder Cori Dyke, redshirt junior midfielder Olivia Damico, senior forward Elle Kershner and senior forward Rebecca Cooke all tallied goals while Damico, Raich, senior+ midfielder Natalie Wilson and redshirt-senior+ midfielder Rowan Lapi were credited with one assist apiece. Senior+ midfielder Kate Wiesner led the way in the passing game with two dishes individually, her third career multi-assist outing.
Between the pipes, Penn State called on all three goalkeepers on the 2023 roster, with graduate Katherine Asman, redshirt sophomore Amanda Poorbaugh and redshirt freshman Mackenzie Gress each seeing the field for around a third of the match. Asman exited with a 3-0 lead in hand, granting her a victorious decision that moved her individual record to 1-0-1. For the Golden Rams, Grace Keen impressed with a whopping 16 saves on the afternoon after playing the full 90 minutes.
Linnehan opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a right-footed boot on a slick feed from Wilson and Wiesner. A banger from Dyke in the 24th, followed by another Linnehan score assisted by Wiesner in the 26th gave the Nittany Lions a three-goal advantage. With PSU's starting lineup substituted out before halftime, the Nittany Lions carried a strong 3-0 lead into the break. After a brief intermission, Penn State picked up right where it left off, connecting on five more scores the rest of the way. By the end of the match, Penn State had finished with eight-or-more goals for the first time since Oct. 10, 2005, when the Blue & White put together a domineering 8-0 performance to beat Iowa in B1G regular season action.
SCORING SUMMARY
9' – Wiesner's feed from the lefthand side of the field approximately 40 yards out found Wilson just outside the penalty box. A quick touch pass from Wilson played the ball forward for Linnehan, with her right-booted shot finding the bottom left corner of the goal. PSU 1, WCU 0
24' – A brief Golden Ram defensive lapse left Dyke with the ball around 24 yards away from the goal. Her right-footed banger attempt rang true just past the keeper's outstretched glove. PSU 2, WCU 0
26' – Wiesner crushed a ball from well beyond midfield that found Linnehan all alone against the keeper with 15 yards of space. Linnehan's light right-footed touch found the net's right corner. PSU 3, WCU 0
55' – Damico dribbled through traffic and unleashed a marvelous arching shot that curved into the back left corner of the goal. PSU 4, WCU 0
63' – Raich collected the ball on the lefthand side and played it back to Lapi, who fed a pass through to Cooke in the attacking midfield. Cooke took a few dribbles into the box and placed a left-footed attempt into the righthand side of the net. PSU 5, WCU 0
64' – After being fouled on the lefthand edge of the 18-yard box, Kershner stepped up to the spot and successfully converted on PSU's first penalty kick of 2023. PSU 6, WCU 0
70' – Raich attempted a right-footed shot from around six yards out that rebounded off the keeper's glove. She followed through with the rebound shot attempt to find the back of the net. PSU 7, WCU 0
75' – Damico sailed a precise pass to Raich on the right side of the 18, where Raich took two touches to set up a left-booted blast into the right side of the goal for her second score. PSU 8, WCU 0
UP NEXT
No. 10 Penn State women's soccer hits the road for the first time in the program's 30th season to take on the border-rival West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday, August 24. The Blue & White challenge WVU at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in a 5 p.m. kick, with streaming available to authenticated subscribers via ESPN+ and the ESPN 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.
