Oct. 8, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) starred on Friday night as she keyed a comeback for Penn State with two goals in a 2-1 win at Northwestern on Lakeside Field. Penn State gave up a 12th minute goal, but allowed only two shots the rest of the night as PSU won its 14th in a row over NU.
"It's just tremendous," said head coach Erica Walsh after the victory. "We're really proud of the group, they faced adversity and fought through it and finally got a result. [Northwestern] were really physical and we were physical and we told the team `the more it was in the air it was more to their advantage' so we had to get it on the ground. The wind played a role and in the second half and we controlled the game in the second half and settled down."
Penn State (4-7-1, 2-1-0 Big Ten) came out of the blocks sluggish as the Wildcats (5-5-3, 1-2-1 Big Ten) took possession of the game in the early moments. Northwestern's Bo Podkopacz forced a Nittany Lion turnover deep in PSU's defensive territory in the 12th minute. Her ensuing cross found Leigh Jakes who struck a shot from just outside the penalty area for a 1-0 Wildcat lead.
Following the opening goal, Penn State settled down and started to ratchet up its own pressure. Leading the offensive way was senior Danielle Toney (Northville, Mich.) who took Penn State's first four shots of the match. Two of those shots forced saves from NU `keeper Carolyn Edwards (three saves) in the 16th and 27th minutes.
Eventually, the Nittany Lion speed and technical ability earned dividends in the 31st minute as Penn State drew a handball by Alison Schneeman inside the penalty area, forcing the official to call a penalty kick. Nairn stepped up and converted her third straight spot kick of the season, her fourth of the year, to knot things up at one apiece.
"Christine is a leader and our difference maker," added Walsh. "She is a winner and just a complete player, she carried us tonight."
Penn State continued to possess the ball and force the NU defense to scramble. Maddy Evans (Glenside, Pa.) had a shot late in the first half that was corralled harmlessly by Edwards, her third save of the half. Over the last 30 minutes of the first half, Penn State out-shot Northwestern 7-1 after NU opened the game with four straight shots.
The second half saw a more physical match and midfield play throughout the early proceedings. In the opening minutes, Toney collided with Edwards, forcing the netminder to sitout the next 11 minutes. She eventually returned after a substitution appearance by Grace Weitz.
Neither side was able to tally a shot for the first 23 minutes of the second frame, while Northwestern's frustrations came to a head when their bench was carded in the 60th minute. Penn State took control of the game in the 67th minute when Nairn headed home a Hayley Brock (Acton, Mass.) cross to put PSU ahead for the first time all night on the first shot of the half.
Penn State's stout defense maintained the Wildcat attack, as Northwestern's first shot of the second half came in the 70th minute a long-range effort by Podkopacz that went high of net, the first attempt towards PSU's net in 35 minutes. The Nittany Lion defense gave up just six shots in the game, only two in the last 78 minutes of the match.
Penn State out-shot Northwestern, 9-6, while the Wildcats were the aggressor physically fouling 19 times to the Lions' 13. PSU earned five corner kicks to Northwestern's one. Edwards had three saves, while PSU's Krissy Tribbett (Centennial, Colo.) had one.
The two-goal showing by Nairn is the first multiple-goal game by a Penn State player since Katie Schoepfer tallied a hat trick against Colgate on Nov. 13, 2009 in the NCAA First Round. It was Nairn's first two-goal game at Penn State as she now leads the team in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13).
The win over the Wildcats pushes Penn State's overall record in the series to 17-2 all-time including 7-2 at Lakeside Field. PSU's win is also the first road victory of the season since a 2-1 overtime win on Aug. 20 at West Virginia.
The Nittany Lions round out their three-game road trip with a Sunday afternoon tilt at Iowa, who lost 3-1 to Ohio State tonight. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com and have live stats on GameTracker.
BOX SCORE
| Team | 1st | 2nd | OT1 | OT2 | Total | Record |
| Penn State | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | (4-7-1, 2-1-0 Big Ten) |
| Northwestern | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 | (5-5-3, 1-2-1 Big Ten) |
Scoring Summary
NU (11:10) - Leigh Jakes (1, Bo Podkopacz)
PSU (30:20) - Christine Nairn (4, Penalty kick)
PSU (66:43) - Christine Nairn (5, Hayley Brock)
Stat Summary
Shots: PSU 9, NU 8
Corners: PSU 5, NU 1
Saves: PSU 3, NU 1
Fouls: PSU 13, NU 19
Offsides: PSU 2, NU 1
Booking Summary
Yellow: NU - Alison Schneeman (30:20)
Yellow: PSU - Danielle Toney (50:23)
Yellow: NU - Team Bench (59:40)
Yellow: PSU - Jess Rosenbluth (83:48)
Attendance: 407
For complete coverage of Penn State women's soccer, please visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Twitter: @PSUWomensSoccer
Follow Penn State women's soccer on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PSUWomensSoccer
--NITTANY LIONS--