ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Senior+ forward Payton Linnehan registered a dominant score in the first half from over 20 yards out, but the No. 4 Penn State women's soccer team ultimately battled to a 1-1 draw on the road against the No. 22 Michigan Wolverines at U-M Soccer Stadium Thursday night.
Penn State's unbeaten run through the first half of Big Ten Conference competition continued following the result, as the Nittany Lions moved to 9-0-2 overall on the 2023 season with a 3-0-1 mark against B1G competitors. Following Michigan State's offensive onslaught in a win over Maryland, the Nittany Lions stand deadlocked atop the conference standings with the Spartans at 10 points apiece heading into Sunday's main event in East Lansing. Michigan saw their overall record move to 6-2-3 while securing their seventh point on the Big Ten table with a 2-1-1 league ledger.
In an all-time series dating back to Penn State's inaugural season in 1994, the Nittany Lions and Wolverines registered the eighth tie in the 41st meeting. The Blue & White continue to maintain a dominant edge in the series overall, leading by a 26-7-8 margin. PSU also mustered back-to-back unbeaten results against the Wolverines for the first time since 2018, pairing Thursday night's draw with a dominant 3-0 victory in last year's contest at Jeffrey Field.
Penn State was more convincing in the run of play, maintaining possession of the ball for a little more than half of the contest while racking up a 10-7 lead over Michigan on the shot chart. The Wolverines were more accurate in their shot attempts, placing three shots on goal to Penn State's one, but the Nittany Lions were ultimately able to dominate the corner kick competition by a 5-2 margin. A physical contest overall, especially in the second half, Penn State committed nine fouls against Michigan's five. The Wolverines were saddled with the only three cautions in the match, landing all three yellow cards in the final 45 minutes of play.
Linnehan's unassisted banger in the first half proved to be the only points scored by a Nittany Lion in Ann Arbor. The Douglas, Massachusetts, native has found the back of the net in two of the last three contests while moving into a tie for the Penn State lead in goals scored this season with four. Linnehan poured in a pair of shot attempts on the night, tying redshirt junior Kaitlyn MacBean, sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen and redshirt sophomore Riley Gleason for a match-high two shots.
In goal, graduate netminder Katherine Asman recorded her 11th-straight unbeaten decision, seeing her individual season record move to 9-0-2 alongside the Nittany Lion team mark in 2023. Asman played all 90 minutes in the contest, her eighth complete-match outing of the year and third straight. The Roswell, Georgia, native allowed one goal and recorded a pair of saves, with both coming in the final 10 minutes of competition. For Michigan, senior keeper Stephanie Sparkowski allowed Penn State to score on its only shot on goal, allowing one tally with no saves in 90 minutes.
An extensive feeling-out process established a back-and-forth affair through the early going, with the Nittany Lions notching the only notable statistics through the first quarter-hour of play in the form of a pair of corners. The first serious scoring chance for either squad materialized in the 18th minute, as the Nittany Lions maintained possession for an extended period and tallied back-to-back shots in the Wolverine final third. PSU's second shot of the contest by Borgen bounced off a Michigan defender outside the penalty area. From there, Linnehan collected the ball on the right-hand side of the box and took a few dribbles to her left, where she found a clearing and unleashed a merciless banger into the back left corner of the net off her left boot.
With the early 1-0 lead on the board for the Blue & White, the Wolverines sought immediate countermeasures to keep the hometown fans engaged in the affair. Michigan tallied its only corner kick opportunity of the period late in the 23rd minute of the match, but a significant attacking opportunity failed to materialize. Michigan remained persistent, however, with freshman forward Gabrielle Prych and junior midfielder Avery Peters working the ball from the center of the pitch to the right side of the 18. Sophomore midfielder Jenna Lang utilized a right-footed effort to sneak a fast-paced ball past Asman's outstretched glove, culminating in a 1-1 draw through the first 45 minutes of play.
Penn State and Michigan brought an intense attacking mindset back to the pitch to start the second stanza, as each side coupled an aggressive offensive approach with a stalwart defensive effort. The Nittany Lions and Wolverines exchanged shot attempts in the first 10 minutes of the frame, but neither squad was able to find the back of the net. Michigan picked up its first yellow card in the 55th minute, followed by a PSU corner kick moments later, but play continued with the match deadlocked at one goal apiece.
After another Nittany Lion corner and multiple free-kick chances failed to materialize, the Wolverines found themselves in the referee's book once again in the 74th, with another card coming out against Michigan in the 76th. As the physicality of the match began to die down, each team remained in the hunt for a decisive final blow in the match's waning moments. The final 30 seconds of the contest nearly proved fatal for the Blue & White, as Michigan cranked a shot on target that was miraculously saved by Asman with 16 seconds left to play. The ensuing Wolverine corner passed without incident, and both squads left the field with another point in the Big Ten standings.
SCORING SUMMARY
18' – Borgen's shot bounced off a Michigan defender outside the penalty area. From there, Linnehan collected the ball on the right-hand side of the box and took a few dribbles to her left, where she found a clearing and unleashed a banger into the back left corner of the net off her left boot. PSU 1, MICH 0
26' – Prych and Peters worked the ball from the center of the pitch to the right side of the 18. Lang utilized a right-footed effort to sneak a fast-paced ball past Asman's outstretched glove. PSU 1, MICH 1
UP NEXT
No. 4 Penn State women's soccer continues its weekend sojourn through the Great Lakes State of Michigan, as the Nittany Lions gear up for a rematch of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament Final against the Michigan State Spartans. Kickoff on Sunday, Oct. 1 from DeMartin Stadium is slated for noon, with the match tabbed for a national television broadcast via the Big Ten Network.
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.
