STATE COLLEGE — Fourth-seeded Penn State women’s soccer defeated unranked Stony Brook in the first round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament on Friday, Nov. 15.
The Nittany Lions have been dominant in the first round of the tournament, now on a 16-year streak of moving on to the second round. Only Florida State, Santa Clara and Penn State have won more than ten in a row. The Nittany Lions moved to 24-3 all-time in the first round of the tournament.
The game went exactly how head coach Erica Dambach would have drawn it up. After taking an early lead in the ninth minute thanks to Kaitlyn MacBean, the Nittany Lions never looked back, scoring eight more and giving up just one.
In the first half, Penn State took a four-goal lead thanks to goals from MacBean, Rebecca Cooke, Julia Raich and Bella Ayscue.
MacBean leads the team by a mile with 15 goals, but Ayscue’s goal marked the first of the freshman’s young career.
In the second half, Ayscue was joined by fellow freshman Katie Scott, who also scored her first career goal.
Penn State found the back of the net three other times in the final 45.
On the defensive end, Mieke Schiemann went down during the game and was taken to the locker room to be looked at. The senior defender did not return, although she left the field on her own accord.
It is still unknown if she will be available for the upcoming rounds.
Dambach was also able to get both goalies in the match. Typical starter Mackenzie Gress subbed out in the 58th minute with two saves and one goal against. Amanda Poorbaugh subbed on and made one save in the final 32 minutes.
The eight goals the team scored marked its most goals against an NCAA Division I opponent since 2005, when the Nittany Lions beat Iowa 8-0. The game also marks the most assists Penn State has recorded in a match with 11. The Nittany Lions have twice eclipsed 10.
Fourth-seeded Penn State will travel to Tallahassee, Florida for its next match up against fifth-seeded Texas Christian University. The game is set for Friday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. The last time the teams met was in the 2023 regular season. Penn State won 1-0.
