Spartans Stopped by No. 23 Nittany Lions on the Road

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Michigan State women's soccer fell to No. 23 Penn State, 5-1, on the road to close out opening weekend of Big Ten play.

With the loss, MSU falls to 7-3-0 on the season and 0-2-0 in conference play, while Penn State improves to 5-4-1 overall and 1-1-0 in Big Ten matches.

On a hot day at Jeffrey Field that included two mandatory hydration breaks throughout the match, the Spartans had 26 different players enter the pitch, with seniors Julia Crowe, Marta Gappy and Madison VanDyke making their first appearances of the season.

"We played a very good 44 minutes in difficult conditions, and we used the bench like we planned to," MSU head coach Tom Saxton said. "The Penn State team really needed a win at home. It was a game of inches; with 12 seconds left in the half, just missed a clear and a goal to concede. The first five minutes of the half were obviously crucial, we just did not organize quick enough. Credit to Penn State, they're a very solid team. We're just going to take this one and move forward."

In the sixth minute of the opening half, junior midfielder Danielle Stephan was taken down inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Spartans. Stephan was able to convert on the early opportunity, firing the ball into the top of the goal, to give MSU the early lead.

The Nittany Lions responded to the early goal with four shots on goal in the next 15 minutes.

Penn State was able to find the equalizer in the 22^nd minute of play, with Ally Schlagel pushing the ball into the low corner of the net past redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Lauren Kozal.

Michigan State was able to counter the Penn State attack for a majority of the first half, with Kozal earning six first-half saves, which is a new career-high for the Spartan goalkeeper.

In the last 12 seconds of the half, the Nittany Lions were able to create some distance and gain a one-goal advantage heading into the half. Payton Linnehan ran free of the Spartan defense and beat Kozal one-on-one for a 2-1 lead.

The Penn State attack came out swinging in the second-half, scoring two goals in the opening eight minutes. In the 46^th minute, Sam Coffey was able to convert on a shot from just inside the box that went high out of Kozal's reach. Kerry Abello increased the Nittany Lions' lead to three two minutes later, on a ball that was deflected into the corner of the net.

Senior goalkeeper Reilley Ott made her second appearance of the season, replacing Kozal in the 53^rd minute, coming up with two saves.

Devin Olive netted the Penn State's fifth goal of the afternoon, with Ott getting a hand on it but was unable to prevent the ball from crossing the goal line.

"We have an extra day of preparation and recovery with a Friday game but also a quick turnaround with Friday and Sunday games so we'll have to prepare for both teams as we move through the week," Saxton said. "We need to take care of business at home, and that will be our expectation. It's a very important weekend for us and everybody on our team knows that."

UP NEXT: The Spartans return home to the friendly confines of DeMartin Stadium next week for the second week of Big Ten play. MSU will host Indiana in the Big Ten home opener on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. under the lights. The team will then take on Purdue on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m. to close the home weekend.

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Team Stats

Danielle Stephan

Bella Jodzis

Players Mentioned

Julia Crowe

Marta Gappy

Lauren Kozal

Reilley Ott

Danielle Stephan

Madison VanDyke

Players Mentioned

Julia Crowe

Marta Gappy

Lauren Kozal

Reilley Ott

Danielle Stephan

Madison VanDyke