UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; August 29, 2014 - Freshman Megan Schafer scored a pair of goals, the first time a freshman had accomplished the feat since 2010, en route to a 3-1 win for Penn State women’s soccer over Connecticut on Friday.

Mallory Weber’s (Novi, Mich) hot foot put the Nittany Lions (3-0-0) on the board just five minutes in. Kori Chapic (Novelty, Ohio) sent a cross in the box to Weber, which the junior was able to deflect mid-air in to the net for the 1-0 lead.

Megan Schafer’s first collegiate goal doubled Penn State’s lead. A UConn (2-1-0) defender attempted to clear the ball, but the ball bounced in the space between Schafer, moving just outside the eight-yard box, and Huskies goalkeeper Emily Armstrong. But Schafer got to the ball first and kicked it past Armstrong for the 2-0 score.

The Nittany Lions continued to press offensively and in the 43rd minute, it paid off when Katy Keen sent a corner to the front of the net. A scramble ensued and Schafer collected the rebound of a Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rica) shot for the 3-0 lead.

Schafer’s two-goal match marked the first time since 2010 that a freshman scored twice in a match (Tani Costa at Purdue, Oct. 31, 2010).

UConn’s Rachel Hill spoiled Penn State’s bid for a shutout with just under seven minutes left in the match. Hill took a pass and sliced the ball from the farside post past Meghan Kaminski, substituted for Eckerstrom in the 65th minute, for the final 3-1 score.

Penn State travels to Durham, N.C., next weekend for the Duke Nike Invitational. The Nittany Lions open the tournament on Friday, September 5, with a 5 p.m. match against North Carolina. Penn State then plays the Blue Devils on Sunday, September 7 at 2:30 p.m.

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