Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
4 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M I t was no surprise when Kai- tlyn MacBean got Penn State on the board first in its NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament opener against Stony Brook. MacBean, a redshirt senior forward from Excelsior, Minn., has been having an outstand- ing year for the Nittany Lions, as evidenced by her recent inclu- sion on the Big Ten's first-team all-conference squad. When she headed the ball into the left side of the net off a pass from fresh- man defender Bella Ayscue with 8:41 gone in the first half, it was a fitting way for 22nd-ranked Penn State to open the postseason. MacBean's goal did more than just give the Nittany Lions an early lead to protect; it served as the start of a record-setting of- fensive avalanche. The Lions routed Stony Brook, 8-1, on Nov. 16 at Jeffrey Field, posting the team's most lopsided victory against a Division I oppo- nent since an 8-0 win over Iowa in October 2005. In addition, it was the team's biggest scoring outburst versus a D-I foe in Erica Dambach's 18 seasons as head coach, and the Nittany Lions' 11 assists were the most in a single game in pro- gram history, surpassing the 10 assists they amassed against Maryland in 2021 and Boston College in 2015. In outshooting the Seawolves 28-6, the Lions won their 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament opener, a streak that ranks second in Division I behind Florida State's 20 straight tournament- opening wins. "Our group came out with a real pro- fessional approach tonight and a great attitude," Dambach said after watching Penn State improve to 13-6-3. "We went at them early. I'm just really proud of everything from start to finish." Six players scored for Penn State against Stony Brook, with graduate forward Rebecca Cooke and freshman forward Aubrey Kulpa supplying 2 goals apiece, and MacBean, Ayscue, redshirt junior midfielder Julia Raich and fresh- man midfielder Katie Scott also finding the net. Scott was making the first start of her career for the Nittany Lions and scored her first collegiate goal in the 51st minute off an assist from Ayscue. Afterward, she told GoPSUSports.com she was thrilled to be part of such a convincing win. "Our team has been working since June," Scott said. "All of us came together and had con- fidence in everyone on the team and played together. We were able to get 8 goals, which was pretty amazing. "I think it shows the depth of our team and our bench," she added. "Everyone has a role on this team, whether it's coming off the bench or starting." All season long, MacBean has provided a spark for Penn State. Following the win over Stony Brook, she ranked third in the Big Ten with 31 points on 15 goals and 1 assist. In spite of her success, the Nittany Lions weren't entirely sure they would even get an- other opportunity to play at Jef- frey Field this season. They had spent the second half of October on the road, tying No. 10 UCLA (0-0, Oct. 17) and falling to No. 8 USC (2-1, Oct. 20) and No. 21 Ohio State (4-1, Oct. 27). They regrouped with a 1-0 victory over host Minnesota Nov. 1 in the first round of the Big Ten Tourna- ment, but three days later they were eliminated by UCLA in the quarterfi- nals, 1-0. However, their résumé was good enough to earn them a home game in the first round. The Nittany Lions gave the 693 fans who came out on a cold November night a lot to cheer about in the final game of the year at Jeffrey Field. With its win over Stony Brook, Penn State earned a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., to face TCU in a second-round game Nov. 22. ■ OLYMPIC SPORTS SQUAD GOALS Women's soccer team shows off its depth in a record-setting NCAA Tournament opener M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M Forward Kaitlyn MacBean has been an offensive catalyst for the Nittany Lions all season, ranking third in the Big Ten with 31 points on 15 goals and 1 assist. PHOTO BY JARED FREED/PENN STATE ATHLETICS