Early Goal Lifts #5 Penn State Past #6 UNC

Thursday, September 7

University Park, Pa.

7:00 p.m.

North Carolina

4-2-0

Penn State

4-1-0

North Carolina

Penn State

Samantha Leshnak made five saves in goal for Carolina.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 7, 2017 | Women's Soccer

Box Score Box Score (pdf)

Tar Heels finish non-conference schedule at 4-2.

By: Dave Lohse

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – The fifth-ranked Penn State women's soccer team scored just seven minutes into the match and that goal held up as the Nittany Lions defeated sixth-ranked North Carolina 1-0 at Jeffrey Field.

With the win, the Nittany Lions improved to 4-1 on the season while the Tar Heels finished the non-conference portion of its 2017 schedule with a 4-2 mark. Carolina will now have 10 days off before traveling to Tallahassee, Fla., on Sunday, September 17 for a match against the Florida State Seminoles. That 1 p.m. match will be televised nationally on ACC Network Extra.

Penn State came out fast and was all over the Tar Heels in the opening minutes of the match and the Nittany Lions were rewarded with a goal in the seventh minute by Frannie Crouse, her second tally of the year. Charlotte Williams assisted on the goal. Crouse's run split the Tar Heel back line and she took a through ball in stride and finished from 12 yards out into the bottom right corner.

From that point on in the match it was all defense all the time as both teams struggled to break through for scoring opportunities. While UNC had more of the possession throughout the final 20 minutes of the first half and for most of the second half, the Tar Heels were unable to break down the Penn State defense and ended up with only two shots on goal in the match. UNC's best chance to score came with under three minutes to play when a shot from outside the box by Alessia Russo was tipped over the bar by Penn State goalkeeper Rose Chandler.

Penn State finished with a 7-6 edge in shots and a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal. UNC had a 2-1 edge in corner kicks.

Both goalkeepers went the full 90 minutes. Samantha Leshnak made five saves for Carolina including a key stop on Laura Freigang late in the match that kept the Tar Heels within a goal. Rose Chandler finished with two saves for Penn State.

Thursday night's match was televised nationally on the Big Ten Network and was viewed in person by 2,276 fans at Jeffrey Field.