Nittany Lions Outlast No. 5 MSU, 2-1 - Michigan State University Athletics

Thursday, October 22

6 PM

Michigan State University

11-3-2, 7-3-0

Penn State

8-3-4, 6-2-2

Team	1	2	Final F
Penn State	1	1	2
Michigan State	0	1	1

PDF Box

Kayla Briggs carries the offense forward in a game against Penn State

10/22/2026 9:30:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

East Lansing, Mich. – No. 5 Michigan State could not come back from an early deficit and fell to visiting Penn State, 2-1, on Thursday in East Lansing.

The Nittany Lions (8-3-4, 6-2-2 B1G) came into the weekend fighting for their postseason lives – with the Big Ten Tournament reduced to just eight teams, PSU entered Thursday in sixth place, three points ahead of eighth-place Wisconsin but two behind fifth-place Purdue. MSU falls to 11-3-2 overall, and 7-3 in Big Ten play.

Trailing 2-0, the Spartans got on the board on a hard-fought goal in the 55^th minute. Renee Watson battled though midfield and dusted her defender Kalal, getting some free space to send a pass to Briggs at the top of the box. Briggs slipped through the two defenders who stepped to her; she went to her left and beat keeper Mackenzie Gress to the ball, putting a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.

Penn State held a 1-0 lead at the half. A goal in the 36' by Penn State's Paige Kalal, her sixth goal of the season, put the visitors on the board, and PSU pushed the lead to 2-0 with a goal by Aubrey Kulpa less than two minutes into the second half.

The second PSU goal ignited something in the Spartans, as it seemingly shifted MSU's offense into a new gear. After the teams each had five attempts in the first half, MSU outshot the Nittany Lions 11-3 in the second frame.  Penn State did what was needed to preserve their lead, falling into a more defensive posture – particularly after Briggs trimmed the lead to 2-1. MSU had four corners in the second half and six in the game, as Penn State put as many as eight across the back line as MSU spent most of the final 30 minutes of play pushing for an equalizer.


SCORING

36' – PSU 1, MSU   0   | The Spartans were able to clear a ball inside the area, but the visitors were able to reset their offense for another try. Aubrey Kulpa received the ball just outside of the area, and fed Paige Kalal on the right side, and her shot eluded a diving Henning for the first goal of the game.

47' – PSU 2, MSU   0 | Kulpa received a clearing pass just over the center line, spun away from a defender, and made the run into the right side of the box. Her shot found the lower left corner.

55' – PSU 2, MSU   1   | Renee Watson did her work up the left side, got around Kalal, and sent a ball to the top of the box for Kayla Briggs. Briggs split the defenders and droves to her left, and outraced the keeper to the ball, putting a left-footed shot into the lower right side.

Notables

The Spartans suffered their second loss at home and third loss overall in 2026.
Kayla Briggs' goal in the 55^th minute was her seventh of the year. She now has 23 points, matching her junior year output which ranks 26^th all-time in a single season.
Renee Watson picked up her second assist on the season. She was one of five Spartan players to go all 90 minutes (Watson, Briggs, Faith George, Julia Belli, and Kennedy Bell). PSU had six go all 90.
Paige Kalal's score for PSU in the 36^th minute was just the third goal surrendered by Michigan State in the first half this season.
Noelle Henning made one save and surrendered two goals, her fifth and sixth of the season in her ninth game of the year. (.806 save percentage, 0.67 GAA). She has six shutouts.
The all-time series tips in favor of the Nittany Lions, who are 27-7-0 against the Spartans in a series that goes back to 1994

UP NEXT
MSU wraps the week with a home game against Maryland on Sunday (1 pm). Single-game tickets for MSU women's soccer are available by visiting sprtns.co/WSOC26tix.