UNIVERSITY PARK – 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 quarterfinals against Saint Louis a season ago. MacBean finished the night with a career high in total shot attempts with eight, also matching her career high in shots on goal with four. Elsewhere on Thursday’s stat sheet, redshirt senior midfielder Olivia Damico contributed an assist on MacBean’s score, while senior midfielder Jordan Fusco finished second on the team in total shot attempts with four.

Between the posts, redshirt junior goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh secured the first start of her collegiate career, notching career highs in minutes played with 90, shots faced with nine and total saves with four. Poorbaugh, a native of Westerville, Ohio, was saddled with the loss in her first complete-match effort, but made multiple key saves in the second half of the matchup to keep the Nittany Lions in the battle. For the Cavaliers, sophomore stopper Victoria Safradin played all 90 minutes and mustered six saves against the lone Nittany Lion score.

The Nittany Lions looked dominant in the opening 45 minutes of action, with the Blue & White notching the opening four shot attempts before Virginia managed to get boot to ball in the 14th. Penn State remained relentless in the attack early on, with the Nittany Lions able to find the back of the net in the 15th. A long service from Poorbaugh toward junior forward Amelia White on the lefthand side of the pitch sparked a quick Nittany Lion scoring opportunity. White dribbled centrally and opened a brilliant string of quick passing toward the opposite end of the pitch, with White finding Fusco, graduate midfielder Natalie Wilson and Damico in quick succession. With Damico barely across the midfield line, the veteran midfielder pelted the ball toward the center of the goal box, with MacBean able to find the ball and bury a right-footed shot into the left side of the net. PSU maintained their momentum over the remainder of the period to take a 1-0 lead and 11-2 advantage in shots into the intermission.

The opening moments of the second half largely reflected the first, with Virginia slowly easing into more possession as the half wore on. Around nine minutes into the second period, controversy sparked chaos on toward the north goal near Park Avenue, with multiple Nittany Lions experiencing aggressive contact just outside the penalty area. In the ensuing moments, Virginia was able to find their way down the other end and lodge the tying score with a right-footed slow-roller from junior forward Magie Cagle. Twelve minutes later, a Cavalier attacker managed to win a penalty on the left edge of the 18, with Cagle called on to put the match-winning goal away from the spot into the top left edge of the met. Despite multiple quality scoring chances, the Nittany Lions were unable to overcome the deficit, closing out the 2-1 result.

SCORING SUMMARY

15′ – A long service from Poorbaugh toward White on the lefthand side of the pitch sparked a quick Nittany Lion scoring opportunity. White dribbled centrally and opened a brilliant string of quick passing toward the opposite end of the pitch, with White finding Fusco, Wilson and Damico in quick succession. With Damico barely across the midfield line, the veteran midfielder pelted the ball toward the center of the goal box, with MacBean able to find the ball and bury a right-footed shot into the left side of the net. PSU 1, UVA 0

54′ – With PSU recovering from a difficult call on the opposite end of the pitch, the Cavaliers capitalized on the ensuing chaos and saw Cagle in a one-on-one battle inside the 18 against Poorbaugh, with the Virginia striker able to find the back of the net on a dribbling right-footed shot. PSU 1, UVA 1

66′ – A Cavalier attacker managed to win a penalty on the left edge of the 18, with Cagle called on to put the match-winning goal away from the spot into the top left edge of the goal. UVA 2, PSU 1

UP NEXT

No. 3 Penn State women’s soccer returns to competition this Sunday, August 25, as the Nittany Lions welcome the West Chester Golden Rams to Happy Valley. Kickoff from Jeffrey Field is slated for 1 p.m. (ET), with streaming available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+ and the B1G+ app on connected mobile devices.