Aug. 20, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The 13th-ranked Nittany Lion women's soccer defeated No. 24 West Virginia, 2-1 on Friday night in front of 1,277 at Dick Dlesk Stadium. Senior forward Danielle Toney (Northville, Mich.) scored Penn State's first goal while Tani Costa (Honolulu, Hawaii) scored the game winner in overtime.
In a game where Penn State (1-0-0) dominated possession, the Nittany Lions treated the few hundred PSU fans that made the trip to Morgantown with an exciting finish. Hayley Brock (Acton, Mass.) took a feed from midfield nine minutes into overtime and sprinted towards the center of the pitch, 40 yards from goal. She made a pass to Costa who cut back to her right and ripped a shot into the lower right hand side of the net for her first collegiate goal and a Penn State win its first over West Virginia (0-1-0) in five years. WVU had held a four-game winning streak in the series before Friday night.
The game got off to a slow start as the two teams looked to find their legs and cohesion early. It wasn't until West Virginia's Bry McCarthy rifled a shot off the post after a corner was punched away by Krissy Tribbett (Centennial, Colo.) did the offenses kick into gear. The ensuing rebound found Erica Henderson, but her shot was high of the goal and the game remained scoreless.
Penn State found a bit of pressure down in WVU's end in the 16th minute as a series of corners eventually saw a shot by Lexi Marton (Aurora, Ontario) get saved at the right post by WVU `keeper Kerri Butler (nine saves).
The Nittany Lions used an excellent clearance by Tribbett as Toney shielded off her defender and went in on goal by herself down the left side. Her shot from 12 yards out caromed off Butler's left leg and nicked the far post for the early 1-0 lead.
Despite plenty of pressure by Penn State's midfield and forwards, West Virginia capitalized on a PSU miscue to equalize the game. An early ball to the middle of the field was misjudged and Bri Rodriguez got loose from the defense and ripped a shot from 15 yards on the left flank past Tribbett into the top corner.
Costa came on in the 35th minute making her Nittany Lion debut and made an immediate impact. She had a shot go just wide of the net from 30 yards minutes after her arrival and a one-two combination with Toney in the 42nd minute almost saw Toney score her second goal of the game, but Butler was up to the task.
Moments later off a throw in, Christine Nairn (Arnold, Md.) put her stamp on the game with a shot from distance that was saved comfortably by Butler in the 43rd minute. For the half, PSU out-shot West Virginia 5-2 on goal.
Penn State nearly went ahead in the 50th minute as a corner by Jess Rosenbluth (Gladwyne, Pa.) found the head of Emma Thomson (Nottinghamshire, England) but her shot was saved by Butler. The rebound came to Brock whose shot was deflected and went off the post, preserving a 1-1 tie.
A few minutes later, Toney and Brock hooked up on a passing play that saw Brock go in nearly alone on net from 16 yards out, but her right-footed shot was barely pushed aside by Butler, resulting in a corner kick.
WVU has few opportunities to counter as Penn State's midfield controlled possession for long portions of the second stanza. Chances in the 79th minute by Costa were saved and the corners were cleared away without incident.
Near the end of regulation, West Virginia looked desperate to keep Penn State's offense out its area. The Nittany Lions saw several chances go begging as quick-strike passing from the forward line saw a shot by Costa with 35 seconds remaining go high from eight yards out.
In the first overtime period, Nairn lifted a shot from nearly 40 yards out that forced Butler to make a parry over the bar resulting in a corner kick. Nairn's kick hit the crossbar and led to Rosenbluth's feet, whose shot was saved by Butler on the near post.
For the game, Penn State out-shot the Mountaineers 23-10, including a 14-5 edge from the second half forward. PSU also out-distanced West Virginia in corner kicks, 11-4.
The win gave Penn State its fourth straight in season openers as well as the first overtime win since 2008 (1-0 vs. Iowa). Additionally, Penn State upped its record to 24-2-2 when Toney scores a goal.
The Nittany Lions head home to host the fifth annual Penn State Invitational beginning Friday, Aug. 27. The first game of that night will feature William & Mary against Connecticut at 5:00 p.m., while the Nittany Lions take on No. 17 Virginia at 7:30 p.m.
PSU is calling out all soccer fans to cheer on the Nittany Lions as they try to break the Jeffrey Field women's soccer attendance record of 3,208 set in 2006. A goal of 4,500 fans has been set and giveaways will be distributed beforehand. The game can be followed live through GameTracker and live streaming video will be supplied by GoPSUsports.com
A free youth clinic will be held Sunday after the PSU women's soccer Blue-White scrimmage at 1:00 p.m. Be on hand as coaches from both the women's and men's teams will combine efforts at Jeffrey Field. Afterwards a free autograph and giveaway session will take place with members of both teams.
BOX SCORE
| Team | 1st | 2nd | OT1 | OT2 | Total | Record |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | 1 | - | 2 | (1-0-0) |
| West Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | (0-1-0) |
Scoring Summary
PSU (21:37) - Danielle Toney (1, unassisted)
WVU (32:54) - Bri Rodriguez (1, unassisted)
PSU (99:11) - Tani Costa (1, Hayley Brock)
Stat Summary
Shots: PSU 23, WVU 10
Corners: PSU 11, WVU 4
Saves: PSU 1, WVU 9
Fouls: PSU 10, WVU 12
Offsides: PSU 2, WVU 0
Booking Summary
Yellow - PSU - Jess Rosenbluth (52:59)
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--