No. 9 Penn State women’s soccer (8-1-1) knocked off Nebraska (1-5-3) 3-0 on the road at Hibner Stadium in Lincoln Sunday afternoon.

After converting two goals in the opening seven minutes of the match, the Nittany Lions dictated the pace of play for the remainder of the contest. Towards the game’s conclusion, stout defense led to another scoring opportunity on the other end, which was finished off by Elle Kershner to end the road cap with a 3-0 triumph.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions jumped out to an extremely fast start on the road against the struggling, outmatched Huskers. Just under four minutes into the action, star midfielder Frankie Tagliaferri fired and converted her fourth goal of the season on the team’s first shot of the match to capture a 1-0 lead.

4' | Frankie T gives us the early 1-0 lead with her fourth goal of the season! pic.twitter.com/ZgmQL5LkWt

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) March 28, 2021

Nearly three minutes later, Erica Dambach’s well-oiled attack continued to push the pace and find success in the offensive zone. After beautiful ball movement by Ally Schlegel and Payton Linnehan, the two forwards were able to find a slashing Rachel Wasserman, who scorched the back of the net to extend the advantage to a 2-0 clip. The conversion marked the first of the Texas native’s blossoming Penn State career.

After the visitors controlled the ball for almost the entirety of the opening 20 minutes, Nebraska was finally able to get a foot on its first shot of the contest in opposing territory. Despite facing its first test of adversity all afternoon, the Penn State backline held strong by blocking the attempt before reaching Kat Asman.

In an effort to maintain the healthy advantage, Penn State played conservatively to end the opening half. Following the two initial conversions, Maddie Myers launched two shots at opposing keeper Makinzie Short, but neither of which landed on goal.

Penn State began the second half by attacking the Nebraska defense, resulting in two quality shots within a short span. Devon Olive fired the first attempt, but a timely block allowed the opposing defense to reset against the hungry Nittany Lion advance.

Moments later, Tagliaferri ripped off another goal-scoring opportunity, but it was staved off by Makinzie Short. The save allowed Nebraska to regain offensive control, resulting in three shots on the other end for the desperate Huskers.

After giving up a flurry of attempts, Penn State returned the favor in highlight-reel fashion. The Nittany Lions reversed the ball back into Nebraska territory by finding a cutting Linnehan, who put a crafty in-and-out move on an opposing defender to set up an open attempt.

The sophomore then found Elle Kershner slashing to the net, who rocketed a low-skidding bullet towards bottom left corner, extending the lead to a 3-0 margin.

BTN+ stream is up just in time for Elle Kershner's second goal of the season to give the Nittany Lions a 3-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/9fjpJv9Dpb

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) March 28, 2021

Although the final goal of the match preemptively ended the Husker’s hopes for an upset-bid, the underdogs continued to fight until the final whistle. In the final ten minutes of the match, both teams exchanged shots, but the ball control of the Nittany Lions prevailed down the stretch.

In total, Penn State dominated the shots on goal tally with six in comparison to Nebraska’s two, leading to the impressive 3-0 showing.

Player Of The Match

Frankie Tagliaferri | Midfielder | Senior

The senior’s commanding offensive presence vaulted the Nittany Lions to an early lead, which held strong from start to finish. The unassisted conversion was spearheaded by Tagliaferri herself, as the leader of the midfield gashed the Nebraska defense to begin the game-long scoring spree for the Nittany Lions.

What’s Next?

Penn State will conclude its regular season campaign in a final home stand at Jeffrey Field on Saturday, April 3, against Maryland. Kickoff is set for noon.