Oct. 28, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Propelled by two Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) goals, the No. 13 Penn State women's soccer team upended Indiana, 2-1, at Jeffrey Field on Sunday to move one step closer to its 10th consecutive Big Ten title. The Nittany Lions have only one more conference game remaining next Friday, Nov. 2 at Ohio State.
Both teams battled a steady, cool wind during most of the nationally televised game. In the first half, action was even statistically, but both teams were able break out in the second half largely due to some miscues at key times. Penn State hit the scoreboard first when redshirt-junior Sheree Gray (Toms River, N.J.) weaved through the center midfield and found Carly Bedesem (Holland, Pa.) on the left side. Bedesem crossed it into the box for a running Schoepfer, who appeared to be wide open and made Indiana pay for it. The sophomore striker took the shot over the Indiana goalkeeper Lauren Hollandsworth's head into the upper center of the net for the 1-0 Penn State lead at the 48:54 mark.
Indiana capitalized on a breakdown in the Penn State end during the 56th minute. After defensive miscommunication, Lindsay McCarthy was able to create an opening and score her fourth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1.
Penn State took the lead for the second time when Schoepfer found the back of the net for her second goal of the day in the 69th minute. Schoepfer sent the roller to the left side of the net from the center of the box just beyond the outstretched hands of a diving Hollandsworth, who appeared to pull back o the save attempt. Seniors Aubrey Aden-Buie (Allentown, Pa.) and Bedesem assisted on what became the game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory.
"I'm proud of the seniors and the way that they performed. They carried us through today's match," said Erica Walsh, Penn State's first-year head coach. "I'm thrilled to come out of this weekend with a 2-0 record vs. two of the top teams in the conference."
Indiana held the advantage in shots, 11-7, but Penn State's preseason All-American keeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) was there each time, tallying six saves on the day. Indiana took five corner kicks to Penn State's four. The Hoosiers committed 12 fouls, while the Lions finished with nine.
Aden-Buie, Bedesem, Jean Rettig (Hummelstown, Pa.) and Denay Riley (Washingtonville, Pa.) were all honored as part of a Senior Day ceremony before the game Sunday.
The Nittany Lions remain in sole possession of first place heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Penn State controls its own championship destiny as the nine-time defending Big Ten champions can bring an unprecedented 10th-straight title to Happy Valley with a win in Columbus next weekend. The Nittany Lions face the Buckeyes at 7:30 p.m. ET in their regular season finale. Penn State begins Big Ten Tournament action on Nov. 8 in St. Paul, Minn.
--NITTANY LIONS--