Penn State’s Aubrey Kulpa scores early 1-0 winner vs. Minnesota: college soccer
Penn State and Minnesota are both 1-1 in Big Ten Conference play. Photo: Penn State Athletics
Aubrey Kulpa delivered the message Penn State needed Sunday: the Nittany Lions were going to scrap until the final whistle.
Two days after dropping their Big Ten Conference opener to No. 6 Ohio State, the Nittany Lions answered with a gritty 1-0 home win over Minnesota. Both Penn State and Minnesota are 1-1 in conference.
Kulpa found the breakthrough in the 33rd minute, and Penn State spent the rest of the afternoon hunting for breathing room while refusing to let the Golden Gophers find an answer.
Penn State set the tone immediately, pressing Minnesota’s back line and forcing their defense to defend under pressure. An early corner offered the first warning shot, but the Gophers cleared it and kept the match scoreless.
Head coach Erica Dambach said the response started with Penn State playing on the front foot after opening too cautiously against Ohio State.
“Honestly, I think we came into that first half against Ohio State just a little bit timid,” Dambach said. “On our heels a little bit…so I thought that we were the aggressor, I thought right off the opening whistle, we went after them, and that's the only way you can win Big Ten games.”
The Nittany Lions kept pouring numbers into Minnesota’s half, but rushed passes and missed connections stalled several promising build-ups. When Penn State finally pieced together cleaner chances near goal, Minnesota goalkeeper Sarah Martin stood in the way.
Kulpa drove much of Penn State’s pressure, repeatedly slipping into dangerous areas and forcing Minnesota to track her movement. Her early looks either missed the frame or ended in Martin’s gloves, but she kept pushing.
That pressure finally cracked Minnesota in the 33rd minute. Olivia Robinson beat a defender and slipped the ball to Kulpa, who ripped a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner for the match’s only goal. The assist marked the second of Robinson’s collegiate career after she recorded her first against Brown.
“These front players are scary,” Dambach said. “They work hard on both sides of the ball. They work well together. They're dangerous; they're athletic. I just think you can't key in on one of them cause the other one will get at you.”
Minnesota came out swinging after halftime, but Penn State absorbed the push and punched back with a counterattack and another corner. The Gophers increased their pressure, yet the Nittany Lions kept finding lanes to create chances of their own.
Penn State hit one of its best attacking spells midway through the half, earning three corners in about a minute. The Nittany Lions could not land the knockout goal, but they kept Martin busy and Minnesota pinned under pressure.
Martin finished with seven saves, including a stop on Paige Pasinski, while Mackenzie Gress made two saves for Penn State.
By the 82nd minute, Penn State had piled up 10 corners but still led by just one, leaving the match balanced.
Minnesota got its opening moments later. Bella Ayscue received a yellow card for unsporting conduct in the 83rd minute, setting up a Gophers free kick. Ava Westlund sent the ball toward goal from outside the box, but Penn State’s defense cleared it.
Ellen Neuharth stepped in for Hailee Christensen in the 85th minute. The closing stretch grew tense as Minnesota chased an equalizer. Penn State bent at times but kept the ball away from danger long enough to protect the lead.
“I think this is a huge momentum shifter for us and a huge confidence booster,” Brooklyn Antonucci said.
When the final whistle sounded, Penn State had turned a one-goal cushion into a game-winner.
Paige Kalal, who previously played for Minnesota, faced her former team for the first time as a Nittany Lion.
“It was so much fun,” Kalal said. “Yeah, it was really fun to play against a lot of my close friends and my home state. I'm super grateful for my time there.”
The Nittany Lions finished with 18 shots and 10 corner kicks, while Martin’s seven saves kept Minnesota within striking distance until the final seconds.
The Nittany Lions travel to Maryland on Friday for a 5 p.m. matchup at Ludwig Field in College Park, Maryland
*Luci Palacios is a student-intern at Penn State University.
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