Oct. 12, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - In a physically demanding match-up Sunday afternoon, the No. 23 Nittany Lions took their first Big Ten loss at the hands of Michigan State 3-1. Penn State now falls to 9-6 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten while the Spartans improve to 12-3 (4-2). Scoring for the Nittany Lions was redshirt senior Zoe Bouchelle (Cockeysville, Md.). Bouchelle has now scored in each of the last two games.
Michigan State struck first in the 34th minute as Lauren Sinacola took a long shot from 45 yards out that snuck by Nittany Lion keeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.).
Less than 30 seconds later, Penn State answered as Maura Ryan (Doylestown, Pa.) passed a rebound in the box to Bouchelle who then blasted a shot that ricocheted of the cross bar and went past keeper Lindsey Wrege for her fifth goal of the season.
In the 40th minute, MSU scored again as Laura Heyboer weaved through the Nittany Lion defense and found the back of the net to make the score 2-1.
The Spartan insurance goal came early in the second half as Sarah Stern took a pass from Lauren Hill and maneuvered around the back line to net the final goal of the game.
"This was a hard fought game on both sides," said head coach Erica Walsh. "It was a real battle. Michigan State's energy and commitment was outstanding."
Penn State peppered 17 shots compared to the Spartans 9. The Nittany Lions had the advantage in corner kicks with five while MSU had none. The Spartans also had eight saves throughout the match while Naeher collected four.
The Nittany Lions will continue their journey towards an 11th consecutive conference championship in University Park next weekend to face Minnesota on Friday at 4 p.m. followed by Iowa on Sunday at noon.