Penn State Women’s Soccer Continues To Lean On Defense With Big Ten Play In Full Swing

Penn State women’s soccer is fully into Big Ten play as it heads into October, and with a 1-0 win over USC on Sunday, head coach Erica Dambach and the Nittany Lions are confident in the team’s play on all ends of the pitch.

Defense played a big part in the USC match, with the Nittany Lions outshooting the Trojans 15-0.

“I thought we really played some good soccer and kind of kept the pressure on. Obviously, didn’t give up a single shot. That’s a big deal in Big Ten play,” Dambach said.

The USC match wasn’t a one-off game, though. The Nittany Lions’ back line has been a strength all season, allowing only seven goals through 10 games.

Defense has been a staple of Nittany Lions teams since Dambach took over in 2007.

“The defense is relentless right now,” Dambach said. “I think they are all over their opponent and not giving these guys any space to breathe, and that’s giving our offense more opportunities to get into the attacking space and to create more chances and more shots.”

While Dambach highlighted the team’s defensive output, she also reflected on the offense and how consistency will play a big role in the team’s upcoming matches.

Penn State faces Purdue Saturday, then heads west to face Oregon and Washington.

“Finding the consistency is a message that they’re hearing over and over and over again,” Dambach said. “You take your foot off the gas at any moment, in any of these matches, and you’re walking away dropping points. And that’s not a place that we need to put ourselves in.”

Penn State found itself in that situation multiple times so far this season, including conceding second-half goals that led to ties against Iowa and Virginia Tech.

Dambach has faith in her squad, however, and emphasized the improvements they’ve made in both the offense and offensive consistency.

“These goals will come. They’re creating it. They’re working at it. They’re watching it. They’re studying it. They’re doing what they need to do to score goals,” Dambach said.

A road trip doesn’t faze the team either, despite their better home record so far this season.

“Home or away. It’s the same message. I don’t think it has anything to do with where the location is. The mentality of this group is very good,” Dambach said.

The Nittany Lions will face Purdue at Jeffrey Field on Saturday, October 3, with the contest starting at 7 p.m.

It is also Penn State’s “Play for Her” night.

Jake is a third-year photojournalism student from Wilkes-Barre, PA. Follow @speichermedia on Instagram for photo projects!