No. 11 Penn State women’s soccer beat Syracuse 4-0 Thursday evening under a beautiful sunset at Jeffrey Field.

Shea Moyer, Kristin Schnurr, Charlotte Williams, and Kerry Abello scored for the Nittany Lions in their decisive victory over the Orange.

How It Happened

Penn State maintained possession throughout most of the first half, but Erica Dambach’s Nittany Lions saw their flurry of early shots barely miss. Moyer put Penn State on the board first in the 24th minute after driving a top-of-the-box shot past Syracuse goalkeeper Jordan Harris. Williams and Abello earned assists on the play.

Like Moyer, Schnurr also scored her second career goal Thursday night against the Orange, corralling a Williams through-ball in the 42nd minute before taking dead aim from close range. Schnurr got the party started in a 3-0 win over James Madison last Thursday in Harrisonburg, VA.

Williams continued her outstanding performance against the Orange when she sneaked a shot inside the top left of the net in the 49th minute. Moyer and Frankie Tagliaferri assisted on the goal. Abello tied Emily Ogle, who also had an assist, for the team lead with her third goal of the season on a close-range header in the 56th minute.

Junior goalkeeper Amanda Dennis has now recorded a shutout in four of Penn State’s first six matches. She only needed to make one save in nearly 70 minutes of action, as the Nittany Lion defense did a tremendous job smothering Syracuse’s few chances. Penn State outshot the Orange 23-2 and took all 10 corner kicks.

“I thought the energy was excellent from the team. I’m just really proud of the professional performance I saw from this group tonight,” Dambach said. “Once we started getting the ball moving, I thought we were able to pull them apart.”

Players of the Match

Charlotte Williams and Shea Moyer

The midfielders finished with a goal and two assists apiece against the Orange.

“She’s so creative,” defender Ellie Jean said of Williams. “She’s always up for the battle and she just wants to win. She’s just so competitive. I think her energy just fills the team and it really allows us to play great. She’s a great leader.”

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (4-2) return to Jeffrey Field Sunday at 1 p.m. when they host No. 6 Virginia in their final non-conference match of the season.