The Nittany Lions (2-7-2) (0-5-2 Big Ten) were able to steal a point away at Northwestern (5-5-2) (2-3-1 Big Ten), who played much of the game with ten players on Friday night.

Senior Northwestern defender Fritz Volmar was sent off early for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The Wildcats were not deterred. Northwestern fought hard to earn the opening goal of the night less than a minute into the second half.

After a sluggish 80 minutes, captain Joe Sheridan slotted home the equalizer in the bottom corner before being sent off minutes later. Although unable to capitalize on the numerical advantage, Penn State returns home having won a point.

How It Happened

Sheridan began the game with a long ball off a kick into the opponent’s box, setting the tone early with glimpses of Penn State’s tendency for direct attacks. Northwestern responded, winning the 50/50 ball right outside the box and starting the counter. They won a long throw into the box, but Penn State denied any chance of reaching the target.

The first good chance for either team came in the 4th minute, as Aaron O’Rielly played a perfect line-splitting through ball into Andrew Millar. Junior defender Arian Recinos recovered well, putting in a perfect sliding tackle and forcing a Wildcat corner. The challenge needed to be perfect, and it was.

Penn State settled into the game more after nearly conceding. After winning a set piece in Northwestern territory, Penn State ran a well-orchestrated set piece that resulted in a dangerous ball into the center. Wildcat keeper Dominic Pereira did well to claim the ball before it reached a Nittany Lion.

The wind played a major factor all night, as the ball visibly slowed down when lofted into the air. In the first half, Penn State was playing against the cold winds flowing off the shore of Lake Michigan, something that both teams would have to adapt to throughout the night.

Following a Northwestern corner in the 12th minute, Amadou Kone’s clearance found a racing Etienne Reck running down the sideline. After a physical battle with the Wildcat center back, the 6 ‘2 forward was brought down before he could fire a shot off. The Penn State bench erupted, pleading for a red card for a denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

The on-field decision was a yellow card for Fritz Volmar. Upon further review, the referee deemed the contact enough to overturn the call on the field, resulting in a red card thirteen minutes into the game. With Northwestern’s most experienced senior getting sent off on senior day, the Wildcats would now play the remainder of the game with ten men.

The Wildcats stayed aggressive, making it known that they would not simply roll over and accept defeat. Penn State struggled to get into the final third following the red card, as the Wildcats stood strong defensively. Kone showed his frustrations and passion on the pitch, telling his team to hurry up and take advantage before the Wildcats could get fresh legs in.

Penn State’s best look of the game so far came in the 20th minute, when defender Toby Grant pushed forward and delivered a curling cross to Reck. The Northwestern backline did its job, closing down space well and doing just enough for Reck to lose possession before he was able to fire off a shot.

In the 26th minute, a dangerous lob came flying into the Nittany Lion penalty box. Daniel Peluffo-Weise launched himself into the air, punching the ball back into play before receiving a knee to the upper body. A foul was called on the Wildcat attacker. The Uruguayan national continues to put his body on the line in between the sticks for Penn State.

At the half-hour mark, the game remained nil-nil. Following substitutions, the Wildcat backline became much more compact, limiting space for the Nittany Lions to operate in and not allowing any clear chances. As Northwestern continued to close down passing lanes, Penn State’s frustrations began to mount, with the Nittany Lions unable to consistently break into the final third and create meaningful scoring opportunities.

Northwestern was finally able to leave their own side of the field around the 40th minute, winning a free kick outside the Penn State box. A flying cross came back post, finding Bryant Mayer, who headed the ball towards the net. The ball evaded Peluffo-Weise’s fully extended arms before landing on top of the net as Penn State blew a huge sigh of relief.

On the stroke of halftime, Arian Recinos whipped in a cross from the left wing. Toby Grant took his touch excellently, controlling it back into the ground before firing home a low-driven shot towards the bottom corner. Northwestern goalkeeper Dominic Pereira got low to the ground quickly, pushing the near post shot out for a corner.

The Wildcats saw out the remaining few seconds of half. The whistle blew, and the teams went into the tunnel with the score remaining 0-0. The first shot on goal from either team came in the 45th minute in a very slow day for offense.

The Wildcats opened the second half with possession, winning a throw-in deep into Penn State territory. Mayer launched the ball into the box, falling graciously into the path of Gabriel Smyth, who fired home the opener from close range. Only 47 seconds passed between the opening whistle and the moment the ball hit the roof of the net.

Penn State looked around the field dazed and confused as to what just happened. The sideline looked stunned as the Wildcats celebrated, struggling to process how quickly the game had shifted.

Penn State had a chance early on in the second half to respond, as the Nittany Lions launched a quick counter and had a 3-on-2 situation. Reck’s ball had too much on it and couldn’t find an open Morgan Marshall racing down the sideline.

Sheridan received a yellow card shortly after in the 53rd minute. The Penn State captain lunged his body into the back of Northwestern’s Evrit Fisher and made no play for the ball.

Penn State eventually strung together a few creative passes in the 59th minute. An errant clearance came to the feet of Kone, who found enough space to open his body and take a shot. Andrew Johnson was in the right place at the right time, clearing the ball off the line and out for the corner.

On the ensuing corner, the ball bounced around before kindly falling for Kone once again. Pereira made an impressive reflex save following a point-blank header, a save that was celebrated like a goal by all Northwestern fans and players in attendance. As the rain began to pour down with thirty minutes remaining, Penn State continued to search for the equalizer.

With 22 minutes remaining, Reck found an opportunity from outside the box. His shot traveled quickly through the air before it bounced off a defender. The Penn State forward immediately began calling for a handball, so much so that he began protesting to the referee in the middle of live play.

Reck arguing for a handball impacted the offense, as the Nittany Lions lost possession on a sloppy play as Reck continued to argue out of play with the referee. Down 1-0 with the clock ticking, nothing seemed to be going Penn State’s way. It continued that way in the 78th minute, with Noah Forster receiving a yellow card.

In the 80th minute, the ball was launched into the Northwestern box before taking a deflection. The ball ricocheted into the path of Sheridan, who took his chance well, striking the ball with pace and accuracy into the bottom corner. The Northwestern keeper could do nothing but watch as the equalizer rolled in.

With ten minutes remaining in the game, the score was now tied 1-1.

Penn State came out of the gates hot, with a heightened intensity and drive to search for the winner. However, Northwestern’s backline and defensive discipline were on full display in the remaining ten minutes. The Wildcats absorbed wave after wave of Penn State attacks, staying compact at the back and holding firm under pressure.

Before the final whistle blew, Penn State defender and scorer of the team’s lone goal, Sheridan, received a straight red card for unsportsmanlike conduct. The game went to ten versus ten for the final few seconds before the final whistle blew.

The spoils were shared tonight in Evanston, with a final score of 1-1.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions have earned consecutive points in Big Ten play for the first time in Rob Dow’s tenure
• Before tonight, Penn State averaged 11 shots a game. They leave Evanston tonight having taken 14 shots, with 11 shots alone in the second half.
• Penn State only conceded 5 shots, far below their average shots allowed per game of 13.
• Penn State was unable to score on their 10 set pieces (4 corners) against a Northwestern team that conceded twice off of set pieces in its previous game.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions return home next week to face Rutgers at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 20, at Jefferey Field. Folks can tune in from home on Big Ten Plus.