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| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | |
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| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Sept. 26, 2014 -The No. 8 Penn State women's soccer team continued its perfection in Big Ten play against Northwestern on Friday with goals from four different Nittany Lions, including a three-point performance from Salina Williford (Wayne, Pa.), en route to a 4-1 win.
Thanks to a Penn State defense that limited Northwestern to just one shot on goal, the Nittany Lions scored four-or-more goals for the third straight game and allowed just the second goal on Jeffrey Field this season.
Williford displayed stellar ball handling skills to result in the gamewinner. In the sixth minute, she threaded the ball through a Northwestern defender's legs three yards north of the top of the box and played the ball out wide to Emily Hurd (Sammamish, Wash.). Hurd then fed it squarely to Rodriguez, who headed in her fifth of the season for the 1-0 goal.
The Nittany Lions (9-1, 4-0 Big Ten) continued their attack, allowing multiple players to get touches and maintain aggression, leading to Penn State's second tally of the game. Taking her second consecutive corner kick, Emily Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio) curled the ball to Kori Chapic (Russell, Ohio) at the farside post, who rose above a crowded goal mouth and headed in the 2-0 goal.
Penn State began the second half with effective flank play and quick speed, and their tactics paid off in a big way. At 72:11, Megan Schafer (Langhorne, Pa.) dashed around the opposition, broke away and chipped in her fourth of the year to put the Blue and White up, 3-0.
Just over seven minutes later, it was Williford's turn to shine, as she freed the ball from the Wildcats (4-5-2, 0-4-1 Big Ten), streaked down the middle and sent a shot past Lauren Clem for the 4-0 lead.
Northwestern spoiled the Nittany Lions' bid for a clean sheet in the 87th minute. A give-and-go between Rachel Zampa and Katie Landgrebe resulted in a shot fired from range over Meghan Kaminski's (Doylestown, Pa.) head and in to the back of the net for the final 4-1 score.
Britt Eckerstrom (Germantown, Md.) earned her ninth win of the year in the 76 minute-long performance, making the Nittany Lions' lone save of the match.
Penn State concludes its four-game home stand against Illinois on Sun., Sept. 28 at 1 p.m.