Nov. 19, 2007
By Stephanie Petulla, Penn State Athletic Communications
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Heroic endeavors don't amply describe what led up to or happened during the Penn State/Hofstra women's soccer game Monday night on Penn State's campus, but the result is one for the ages for the Nittany Lions. Down 1-0 to a feisty and talented Hofstra team that came into the night with only three losses all season, Nittany Lion senior midfielderCarly Bedesem tied the game with less then 15 seconds remaining to send the contest into overtime. Sophomore forward Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.) then showed why she is one of the top forwards in the college game by getting the deciding goal to propel No. 1 seed Penn State to a 2-1 overtime win Monday night. The gamewinner is her team-leading seventh of the season.
"It was kind of a blur. I knew I had to get the ball in the back of the net," said Bedesem of her game-tying goal."I wasn't letting our seniors end on this field or any of our teammates. It was for everyone on the field."
The game, originally scheduled for Sunday at the Nittany Lions' home, Jeffrey Field, was moved to Monday on Bigler Field to be played on turf that was cleared and prepared starting Sunday and most of the day Monday by Penn State's exceptional grounds crew. With the field clear, lined and ready to go, the two teams kicked-off to see who would be the sixteenth and final team into the 2007 NCAA third round. BIG EAST power West Virginia awaited the winner and No. 1 seed Penn State was not to be denied.
The Nittany Lions dominated play statistically, out-shooting the Pride 26-7 on the night and taking nine corner kicks to Hofstra's one. On the scoreboard, however, it was the Pride's goal that matter the most for the balance of the game, however. Hofstra got its goal in the 35th minute when Diana Caldwell found Brooke DeRosa for the conversion. Hofstra held the lead under heavy pressure until the final minute of regulation when Bedesem took a pass from junior Jessie Davis (Fairfax, Va.) and went far post, upper 90 with the shot to tie the game.
With momentum clearly on the Nittany Lions' side, it didn't take long in overtime for PSU to put the game away. Sophomore defender Maura Ryan found Schoepfer, who saw the gap and also went far post for the game-winner.
"This group was flyin'," said Penn State head coach Erica Walsh of her team heading into the overtime. "There was very little question in any of our minds that we were going to come out and get our chances early and ya just pray that you put one away- credit to Katie Schoepfer there. This was a very good Hofstra team, a senior-ladened team that had so much energy. These guys fought their backsides off tonight and I give them a lot of credit."
The comeback tarnished Hofstra's record of 141-0-5 in games the Pride were leading with 20 minutes or less remaining, which dated back to the 1995 season.
Penn State is now 28-11-7 (.730) in NCAA games, and raises its record to 9-2 (.818) in second round match-ups.
"This is a huge win," said Schoepfer after the game. "It puts a lot of confidence in our team and in each other. A win like this really brings your team together and makes you more of a unit and we're going to be ready for West Virginia."
Ten-time reigning Big Ten champion Penn State advances to the NCAA third round for the ninth time in school history and now faces West Virginia in on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 1 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.
--NITTANY LIONS--