UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Aug. 29, 2024) – The West Virginia University women’s soccer team dropped a 3-1 contest at No. 12 Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Thursday night.
Despite a few promising looks for the Mountaineers (2-2) early on, the Nittany Lions found the back of the net in the 15th minute to take the lead and never gave it up. PSU added a second score in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead at halftime. West Virginia outshot Penn State in the opening minutes of the second half, but PSU’s Kaitlyn MacBean was able to complete her hat trick in the 55th minute.
The Mountaineers got on the board in the 90th minute on a goal from junior forward Ajanae Respass following a well-placed corner kick from senior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran. However, it wasn’t enough as Penn State secured the 3-1 victory.
Although Penn State held the advantage on the scoreboard, West Virginia outshot PSU 14-13, while the Nittany Lions held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal. Heredia-Beltran paced the WVU offensive efforts with four shots and the assist, while Respass scored the lone goal for the Mountaineers.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith notched three saves in the contest before she was relieved late in the second half by classmate Bailey Herfurth, who posted two saves in 10 minutes of play.
With the win, Penn State improves its advantage in the all-time series to 14-7-3, including an 8-3-2 lead in games played in University Park.
Up next, West Virginia returns home to welcome Robert Morris to Morgantown on Sunday, Sept. 1. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. ET at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The match will be a Gold Rush, with all fans are encouraged to wear gold, as well as a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concessions available for $1.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Despite a few promising looks for the Mountaineers (2-2) early on, the Nittany Lions found the back of the net in the 15th minute to take the lead and never gave it up. PSU added a second score in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead at halftime. West Virginia outshot Penn State in the opening minutes of the second half, but PSU’s Kaitlyn MacBean was able to complete her hat trick in the 55th minute.
The Mountaineers got on the board in the 90th minute on a goal from junior forward Ajanae Respass following a well-placed corner kick from senior forward Dilary Heredia-Beltran. However, it wasn’t enough as Penn State secured the 3-1 victory.
Although Penn State held the advantage on the scoreboard, West Virginia outshot PSU 14-13, while the Nittany Lions held an 8-6 advantage in shots on goal. Heredia-Beltran paced the WVU offensive efforts with four shots and the assist, while Respass scored the lone goal for the Mountaineers.
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Smith notched three saves in the contest before she was relieved late in the second half by classmate Bailey Herfurth, who posted two saves in 10 minutes of play.
With the win, Penn State improves its advantage in the all-time series to 14-7-3, including an 8-3-2 lead in games played in University Park.
Up next, West Virginia returns home to welcome Robert Morris to Morgantown on Sunday, Sept. 1. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. ET at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium. The match will be a Gold Rush, with all fans are encouraged to wear gold, as well as a Dollar Day, with tickets and select concessions available for $1.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
