Michigan
6-2-3, 2-1-1
Penn State
9-0-2, 3-0-1
Wolverines Play No. 4 Nittany Lions to Draw in Top-25 Showdown at U-M Soccer Stadium
9/28/2023 10:12:00 PM | Women's Soccer
» Jenna Lang's goal in the 26th minute tied the match at 1-1 and was only the fourth goal PSU has surrendered all season.
» The Wolverines held Penn State to three shots through the first half, the fewest U-M has given up in a half this season
» With the draw, Michigan sits at third in the conference standings with seven points, three points shy of top of the table, and improved to 4-0-1 at home on the year.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- In a hotly-contested match that featured an intense battle of will right down to the final whistle, the No. 22-ranked University of Michigan women's soccer team earned a 1-1 draw against the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday (Sept. 28) at U-M Soccer Stadium.
An early goal by the Nittany Lions (9-0-2, 3-0-1 B1G) in the 18th minute was quickly countered by the Wolverines eight minutes later, when sophomore Jenna Lang snuck a shot past Penn State goalkeeper Katherine Asman for the equalizer at 25:54. Assists on the play were credited to freshman Gabrielle Prych and junior Avery Peters; the helper for Prych was her second of the season, giving her 10 points on the campaign, while Peters' was her team-leading fourth assist.
Following the trading of goals, Michigan's (6-2-3, 2-1-1 B1G) defense clamped down on the Penn State offense, not allowing a shot or corner kick until the second minute of the second half. Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Sparkowski enjoyed considerable support from her back line, as only a single Nittany Lion shot was on goal in the entire game.
Despite outshooting the Wolverines 7-5 in the second half, Penn State found themselves on the back foot in the final ten minutes of action. Freshman Lilley Bosley forced a save in the bottom right corner of the 81st minute, while junior Avery Kalitta came just inches from a game-winner with only 16 seconds left on the clock.
With the final seconds ticking down, U-M advanced a corner kick into the box, but the resulting header from junior Tamia Tolbert was just off target and time expired, sealing the 1-1 draw.
Lang's goal was just the fourth that the Nittany Lions have surrendered this season and Michigan improved to 4-1-1 in games that Lang has scored in. U-M also improved to 4-0-1 at home during the 2023 campaign.
Michigan's defense held Penn State to 10 shots on the evening, including just three shots through the first half -- the fewest U-M has given up in a half this season.
The Maize and Blue improved to 10-8-3 against ranked teams under head coach Jennifer Klein, and the result is U-M's second draw against a top-five team this season, with the first coming at Virginia (Aug. 24). The tie is also Michigan's seventh against a top-five team all-time.
With the draw, the Wolverines will enter the weekend in third place in the Big Ten regular season standings, sitting at seven points through four games -- just three points shy of the top place in the standings.
Tweet of the Match
26' | ????????
— Michigan Women's Soccer (@umichwsoccer) September 28, 2023
JENNA LANG!
Ball played in by Peters, header by Prych finds Lang with FINISHES lower right.
LEVEL.
1:1
#GoBlue?? | #OurWay pic.twitter.com/KDDxeaX5ZK
Midfield partners senior Sarah Bridenstine and Peters, as well as the backline duo of sophomore Aniyah League and Tolbert played a full ninety minutes for the Wolverines.
Michigan closes out the week on Sunday (Oct. 1), hosting the Maryland Terrapins in a noon contest at U-M Soccer Stadium. The match will be broadcast via B1G+.
Team Stats
Payton Linnehan (4)
GOAL by PSU Linnehan, Payton.
17:59
Jenna Lang (2)
Assisted By: Gabrielle Prych , Avery Peters
GOAL by MICH Lang, Jenna Assist by Prych, Gabrielle and Peters, Avery.
25:54
