No. 8 Penn State Women’s Soccer Opens Big Ten Play With 3-0 Win Over Northwestern
No. 8 Penn State (4-2-0) took care of business 3-0 as it opened Big Ten play at home on Jeffrey Field against Northwestern.
The Wildcats (3-3-1) couldn’t deal with the Nittany Lions’ attack, which controlled possession and registered 17 shots.
How It Happened
The scoring started quickly for the Nittany Lions. Senior forward Megan Schafer scored within the first couple minutes of the first half on a beautiful header to the lower left corner of the net.
Megan Schafer buried her second goal of the season to put Penn State up 1-0. pic.twitter.com/sHOmSohzPI
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) September 14, 2017
Penn State controlled the ball for the majority of the game, and thus the team was able to limit the number of opportunities that Northwestern had on the night. With the time of possession controlled by the Nittany Lions, the Northwestern senior goalkeeper Lauren Clem was busy, but able to hold her own through the number of shots that she faced throughout the game — keeping the Wildcats in the game in the first half.
The Lions, however, scored again just three minutes from halftime. Redshirt junior Emily Ogle hit a perfect ball on a free kick around the wall and right into the lower right corner of the net. This gave the Lions a 2-0 lead at the end of the first half.
Emily Ogle's bender around the wall doubled the Nittany Lions lead right before halftime. pic.twitter.com/DA1VeJHdjb
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) September 15, 2017
Before Northwestern even had a chance to cut into the 2-0 deficit it faced in the second half, junior midfielder Charlotte Williams scored her first goal of the season within the first few minutes. Senior Frannie Crouse helped set up Williams on this one for her second assist of the game.
Charlotte Williams finished a beautiful defense-splitting pass from Frannie Crouse to get Penn State off to a fast start in the second half. pic.twitter.com/RSN6BhxekL
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) September 15, 2017
This 3-0 lead would stay intact for the rest of the game as the Nittany Lions weren’t really tested down the stretch.
Player Of The Game
Megan Schafer | Senior | Forward
Schafer started the scoring within the first few minutes of the game for the Nittany Lions. Schafer scored on a sensational header into the lower left corner of the net for her second goal of the season and Penn State never looked back.
What’s Next
The Nittany Lions return to Jeffrey Field Sunday for a matchup with Illinois. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. and can be seen live on BTN Plus.
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