CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Behind the late heroics of sophomore Frankie Tagliaferri (Colts Neck, N.J.), the No. 20 Penn State women's soccer team defeated Illinois in overtime, 2-1, Saturday at Illinois Soccer Stadium.
The Fighting Illini (6-5-0, 1-3-0 Big Ten) got ahead of the Nittany Lions early when Morgan Maloney scored off the rebound in the 14th minute.
Penn State's (6-4-0, 2-1-0 Big Ten) only shot on net in the first half by Marissa Sheva (Sellersville, Pa.) was saved by Illinois' Jaelyn Cunningham. After her shot hit the crossbar midway through the second half, Tagliaferri found the sweet spot and the equalizer to tie the game 1-1. Kerry Abello (Batavia, Ill.) assisted on the first Nittany Lion goal.
In the 79th minute, Morgan Maroney was able to get in front of the Nittany Lion defense, but her breakaway shot was tipped away by Penn State goalkeeper Amanda Dennis (San Diego, Calif.) to keep the game tied and the momentum in the Blue and White's favor.
Tied at the end of regulation, the Nittany Lions were set to play their first overtime game of the 2018 season.
It didn't take long for Penn State to find the golden goal, however. Alina Ortega Jurado's (Waldgirmes, Germany) long cross found Tagliaferri right inside the box as she was able to take the left-footed shot to the bottom-right corner of the net for the win at 90:55.
The Nittany Lions outshot the Fighting Illinim 16-8. Dennis finished the match with two saves.
No. 20 Penn State returns to Happy Valley for two home matches at Jeffrey Field next week. The Nittany Lions will host Nebraska on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. and Iowa on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. Thursday's match with Nebraska will be broadcasted live on the Big Ten Network.