Penn State women’s soccer (7-4, 1-3) defeated No. 18 Wisconsin (7-2-3, 2-1-1) Thursday night to get back on track with a 2-1 win.

The Nittany Lions got their first conference victory in a tough matchup with the Badgers. Contributions from Sam Coffey got Penn State going late in the first half, and the team never looked back.

How It Happened

Wisconsin controlled possession early in the first half but didn’t produce the first shot of the match until the 13th minute. After a costly midfield turnover from Ally Schlegel, a shot from Emma Jaskaniec outside of the box zoomed right into the left side of the net to give the Badgers an early lead.

After trading possessions throughout the first half, Wisconsin received the first yellow card of the match at the 31st minute of the match. Sam Coffey took full advantage of the free-kick and sniped one in the top right corner on the net just off the tips of Jordyn Bloomer’s mitts to tie this game up.

Now THAT'S a stunner pic.twitter.com/YYLAmsJs2i

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 1, 2021

Thanks to great defensive play on both sides, the score remained tied as the first half came to a close.

Penn State’s momentum continued in the second half as they controlled much of the possession to start. Coffey teed up another free-kick at the 61st minute, but the ball skipped right into Bloomer’s arms. The Badgers had their own chance to regain the lead just minutes later, but a shot from Jaskaniec went just wide of the right post.

With just 11 minutes left in the match, Penn State’s Rachel Wasserman suffered a knee injury that took her out of the game, adding to an already-banged-up Nittany Lions squad.

Just moments later, Jordan Canniff gave Penn State its first lead of the game coming from off a cross from Elle Kershner.

Jordan Canniff pic.twitter.com/AoBCb9HLDv

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 1, 2021

By countering a last-ditch effort from the Badgers, the Nittany Lions came out on top.

Player Of The Game

Sam Coffey | Midfield

Big-time stars make big-time plays, folks. In a game that started in Wisconsin’s favor, both offensively and defensively, Coffey’s goal late in the first half completely changed the momentum of this game. Coffey was in complete control by keeping the offense involved and coming up big when Penn State needed her most.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Sunday, October 3 at 2 p.m.