Penn State scored twice within a six-minute stretch late in the first half on goals by Payton Linnehan and Amelia White on their way to their eighth victory of the season, beating the Scarlet Knights by a score of 2-1 before a crowd of 1,093.

The No. 4 ranked Nittany Lions came into the game undefeated (7-0-1), looking to add win number eight to their resumé in 2023 as well as their first victory at Yurcak Field since 2018.

In the early going, Penn State controlled possession and play as Rutgers clearly was missing the presence of injured captains Emma Misal and Becci Fluchel.

While RU did not appear to be able to connect with passing, PSU, by comparison, appeared to be able to connect at will. It was that precision passing that led to the first quality chance of the match, but Penn State junior Kaitlyn MacBean fired it over the top of the Rutgers goal, keeping the game scoreless.

But, eventually the PSU persistence paid off when sophomore Riley Gleeson delivered a perfect feed for a one-timer by Linnehan, who chipped the ball past RU goalkeeper Emily Bodmer at 33:40 to give the Nittany Lions the lead, 1-0.

The Lions picked up their second goal less than six minutes later, when White found herself alone in front of the net and the sophomore quickly fired it past Bodmer to double their advantage, 2-0, at 39:05.

Down by two goals to start the second half, head coach Mike O’Neill had the Scarlet Knights press on offense, which generated scoring chances. When Sam Kroeger forced a turnover and came streaking in on net, she fired a shot past Penn State goalkeeper Katherine Asman to cut the deficit at 61:30.

Despite their efforts, the Scarlet Knights could not find the equalizer in the match, as Penn State’s defense went into full lockdown and sealed the win by a final score of 2-1.

Now 4-4-2, the Scarlet Knights will host Purdue on Sunday, Sept. 24 in Piscataway. The Boilermakers are 3-6-1 this season, having tied Maryland, 0-0, in their most recent matchup.