They knew it was going to be tough.
The No. 7 Penn State women’s soccer team (5-2) had the odds in their favor going into BYU on Saturday. The Lions boasted an impressive 3-0 road record and only one loss to then-No. 1 Stanford.
But the Cougars were equally as impressive with a three-match win streak under their belt and an upset against then-No. 11 Long Beach State on Aug. 30.
BYU proved to be the better team Saturday night as they upset Penn State, handing them a 3-1 loss on their home turf in Provo, Utah. The cougars dominated the opening part of the game coming strong out of the gate, pressuring the Lions immediately.
Within the first two minutes the Cougars had earned a corner kick as they found a gap up the middle to place the ball across the front of the goal. The Lions caught a break though as BYU had an opportunity right in front of the net, but sent the ball wide left.
No more than 10 minutes later would BYU find optimum field position, placing a ball from the middle to the right side of the field to send a shot into the back of the net, notching a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.
The Cougars would not hold their lead for long as the Lions tied it up in the 29th minute. Senior standout Christine Nairn, who leads Penn State in goals this season, received a ball about 18 yards out and sent a ball flying off the post. But forward Mallory Weber would use her speed to get the rebound just outside the 18-yard box and break past the defenders to tie the game at one.
The score would remain tied going into halftime, but the Cougars would come back to dominate the second half, scoring a goal ten minutes into the period to take the lead. The Cougars would score the go-ahead goal just moments later to secure the 3-1 victory over the Lions.
Penn State will be back in action this Sunday at home against No. 15 Wisconsin, whom the Lions have not defeated in three seasons.
