Martin, White Steer No. 18 Nittany Lions to Street Win at Northwestern – Penn State

EVANSTON, Ill. – Led by tallies from senior ahead Amelia White and redshirt junior midfielder Molly Martin, the 18th-ranked Penn State girls’s soccer crew returned to the win column following a 2-1 outcome over the Northwestern Wildcats on Sunday afternoon from Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

Following Penn State’s pivotal outcome to shut out the third match week of the Big Ten Conference slate, Penn State returned to its successful methods and picked up its sixth victory of the yr, enhancing to 6-4-2 total by 12 alternatives whereas returning to .500 in B1G competitors with a 2-2-1 league ledger. In defeat, Northwestern skilled its first lead to convention play outdoors of a draw, shifting to 0-1-4 within the league whereas dropping to 4-2-6 total. Following the thirty sixth all-time assembly between Penn State and Northwestern in girls’s soccer, the Nittany Lions have been capable of lengthen their result in 30-5-1 coupled with a 12-3-1 report when enjoying at Martin Stadium. PSU stays unbeaten in opposition to the Wildcats by every of the final 4 conferences, successful thrice and mustering one attract a span courting to 2021.

Despite Penn State’s decisive benefit within the run of play and way more important scoring alternatives over the course of the 90 minutes, the Nittany Lions have been out-shot by the Wildcats by an eye-popping 16-7 differential along with a 7-4 loss by way of on-target alternatives. Penn State’s beginning goalkeeper, redshirt junior Mackenzie Gress, in addition to the PSU again line mixed to report six saves in comparison with simply two for the Wildcats. NU additionally managed a victory within the nook kick competitors, amassing six alternatives in opposition to a pair of tries for the Blue & White.

White and Martin stole the present for the Nittany Lions in Sunday’s gritty street victory, with the duo combining to guide Penn State to its first street win in convention motion along with its second street victory of 2025. White, a local of Fort Wayne, Indiana, tallied for the third time within the 2025 marketing campaign along with scoring for the second time in Big Ten motion, along with her final purpose coming in opposition to Maryland on September 11. White is now as much as eight factors on the yr, matching her single-season career-best scoring mark from her inaugural collegiate marketing campaign in 2022. For Martin, the Acton, Massachusetts, native logged simply the second purpose of her collegiate profession along with her first match-winning purpose as a university athlete. Martin’s tally marked her first rating since mustering a purpose on the street in Big Ten motion final yr at Maryland on October 10.

America’s most harmful facilitator, redshirt senior midfielder Riley Gleason, was in her again of tips but once more on Sunday, with the Mission Viejo, California, native logging her ninth helper of 2025 on Martin’s set-piece header purpose within the second half. Gleason continues to guide the Big Ten in assists and is properly inside putting distance of the nationwide chief, whereas needing simply 4 extra helpers to crack the highest 5 all-time in Penn State’s storied varsity historical past. Sophomore ahead Aubrey Kulpa additionally added her title to the scoresheet, delivering a wonderfully timed cross to White within the first half to place the Nittany Lions out in entrance. Kulpa, a local of Cromwell, Connecticut, mustered her fifth help of 2025, bringing her Big Ten-best scoring mark to 21 factors by 12 fixtures.

Between the pipes, Gress was almost immaculate over the total 90 minutes of labor, with the Lyndhurst, New Jersey, native choosing up her sixth particular person win of the season in opposition to the Wildcats. Gress set a season excessive within the save class with a quintet of rejections, with one further crew save going within the e book for the Nittany Lions later within the second half. Her lone purpose allowed was off a penalty kick, the primary PSU concession from the spot this season. For the Wildcats, first yr keeper Nyamma Nelson performed the total 90 and made a pair of spectacular stops whereas permitting each PSU scores en path to the dropping determination. In the sector, Penn State noticed 4 student-athletes go the gap, with Martin becoming a member of redshirt junior defender Kayleigh Herr, sophomore defender Bella Ayscue and redshirt freshman defender Lilly Burger enjoying the total 90 minutes.

Penn State bought out to a powerful begin within the early going, with the Nittany Lions making an attempt the primary shot of the day and successful the primary nook kick of the match within the second minute of play. Things settled from there, however the Blue & White’s relentless attacking mindset was rewarded with the lid-lifting tally within the twelfth minute of motion. A harmful attacking risk materialized down the left facet of the pitch, the place a pair of Nittany Lions scrapped to win possession and play the ball ahead to Kulpa on a run towards the field. The second-year attacker took a couple of dribbles and labored to the sting of the 18, the place she performed a deadly centering cross into the field that took a deflection off the heel of a Wildcat defender. With little in the best way of White, the veteran utilized a lightning-quick left-footed end to beat Nelson into the underside left nook to present PSU the sting. Thanks to stellar play from Gress between the pipes, highlighted by 4 saves within the first half of motion alone, the Nittany Lions have been capable of carry their one-goal lead into the intermission.

Whistles rained down in abundance to open the second half of motion, with 4 fouls and a yellow card issued to Northwestern occurring within the first seven minutes of the ultimate 45. The fourth foul of the second half proved lethal for the Wildcats, as White drew a name within the 53rd minute of motion to arrange a service-range free kick alternative for the Penn State offense. Gleason assumed her normal place as Penn State’s set piece supply specialist, lifting a well-struck ball into the guts of the Wildcat field. Gleason’s service zipped straight towards Martin’s head within the entrance of the purpose mouth round 10 yards out, the place the savvy Nittany Lion midfielder redirected the ball into the underside left nook of the purpose in what proved to be the eventual match-winning rating. Penn State did a wonderful job defensively over many of the the rest of the match, with Gress reserving the most effective save of the afternoon within the sixty fifth minute of play on a point-blank response cease along with her legs off a Wildcat nook to protect the PSU momentum.

In the waning moments of Sunday afternoon’s contest, a Nittany Lion dedicated an sadly timed foul contained in the penalty space. Wildcat attacker Kennedy Roesch stood watch on the penalty spot, finally changing with a high-powered shot into the decrease left nook simply previous Gress’ appropriate diving save try. Despite a harmful scoring probability within the remaining minute of motion generated by a Wildcat nook kick try that noticed all 11 gamers for NU crowding the Nittany Lion remaining third, Penn State was capable of assume possession of the ball and steer issues out of hurt’s approach, with the Blue & White finally closing the e book on a vital 2-1 victory on the street in B1G motion.

SCORING SUMMARY

12’ – A harmful attacking risk materialized down the left facet of the pitch, the place a pair of Nittany Lions scrapped to win possession and play the ball ahead to Kulpa on a run towards the field. The second-year attacker took a couple of dribbles and labored to the sting of the 18, the place she performed a deadly centering cross into the field that took a deflection off the heel of a Wildcat defender. With little in the best way of White, the veteran utilized a lightning-quick left-footed end to beat Nelson into the underside left nook to present PSU the sting. PSU 1, NU 0

53’ – Gleason assumed her normal place as Penn State’s set piece supply specialist, lifting a well-struck ball into the guts of the Wildcat field. Gleason’s service zipped straight towards Martin’s head within the entrance of the purpose mouth round 10 yards out, the place the savvy Nittany Lion midfielder redirected the ball into the underside left nook of the purpose in what proved to be the eventual match-winning rating. PSU 2, NU 0

88’ – In the waning moments of Sunday afternoon’s contest, a Nittany Lion dedicated an sadly timed foul contained in the penalty space. Wildcat attacker Kennedy Roesch stood watch on the penalty spot, finally changing with a high-powered shot into the decrease left nook simply previous Gress’ appropriate diving save try. PSU 2, NU 1

UP NEXT

No. 18 Penn State girls’s soccer prepares for the third cease on its three-match Big Ten Conference street journey subsequent Saturday, October 4, because the Nittany Lions face off in opposition to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights from Yurcak Field. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. (ET) with streaming accessible to a worldwide viewers of authenticated subscribers by way of B1G+ and the B1G+ app on linked units.

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The 2025 Penn State girls’s soccer season is introduced by Highmark.