No. 18 Penn State (5-4-2) fell to Illinois (9-1-1) in a thrilling seven-goal match, 4-3, on Thursday night.

The Nittany Lions got on the board first but fell short in a thrilling last-minute match.

How It Happened

Illinois started strong on offense against the Nittany Lions, but the Nittany Lions got on the board first with a goal through Aubrey Kulpa in the 9th minute. The Nittany Lions controlled much of the possession, keeping pressure on Illinois and creating the better scoring chances. Illinois fought back to tie the game 1-1 in the 13th. The Nittany Lions controlled much of the possession, keeping pressure on Illinois and creating the better scoring chances. Penn State fell behind as Illinois took the lead, 2-1, from a goal by Howard, who was double-teamed in front of the goal. Penn State drove through insane defense to tie the game once again, and Olivia Borgen put it in the back of the open net. The first half ended tied 2-2.

To start off the second half, Howard moved her way to execute a second goal and make the score 3-2 for Illinois. Kaitlyn MacBean came back and scored to create another tied game at the 65th minute. Illinois then took the lead with under seven minutes left in the game, scored by Emma Yee for her sixth goal of the season, passing four Penn State defenders. The game ended with an Illinois win, 4-3. Illinois recorded a 10 save game while Penn State held at 1. Penn State had 18 shots but over half fell short or went over the goal. Both teams had over 5 fouls but Penn State had 8, resulting the end result.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s offense still had a good showing, despite the loss. It had 18 shots, 13 on goal. Illinois’ goalie put on a masterclass to deny the Nittany Lions the win, recording 10 saves.
• Hannah Jordan left the match in the 60th minute with a leg injury. The freshman has appeared in every game this season, recording two goals and three assists.

What’s Next?

Penn State will hit the road to continue Big Ten play when it takes on Northwestern at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 28. The game will be streamed on BTN+