Aug. 28, 2015
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| Jeffrey Field | University Park, Pa. | 4,207 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In front of 4,207 fans at Jeffrey Field, the No. 6 Penn State women's soccer team played to a 0-0 tie against the No. 21 Duke Blue Devils Friday night. Friday night's attendance is the second-largest crowd for a women's soccer game at Jeffrey Field.
Following the contest, Duke and Penn State are now 2-0-1 on the season.
"There was great energy tonight, and I learned a ton about our team," head coach Erica Walsh said. "There were times when we were all over them and there were times when they were all over us. I think we did a great job of solving problems and then looking out on the field and the players solving problems, that was big for us since were such a young team."
Seeking her third goal in as many games, senior captain Mallory Weber (Novi, Mich.) had a great look on goal early on in the contest.
In the 18th minute, Weber received a through ball in the box and slipt past the Duke defense. With just the keeper to beat, Weber's shot hit the right post and the ball rebounded out to Charlotte Williams (Rochester, N.Y.). Williams, in search of her second goal of the season, fired the shot wide left of the goal.
Williams also had another chance later in the first half as she connected on a header from outside the box. Off the header in the 27th minute, Williams directed the ball towards the net, but a Blue Devil defender stepped up and cleared the ball before it crossed the line.
The Nittany Lion offense put pressure on the Blue Devil defense throughout the first 45 minutes of play, as they tallied 10 shots compared to three. Duke's EJ Proctor posted five saves in the opening half, while Britt Eckerstrom (Germantown, Md.) stepped up for three of her four saves during the first 45 minutes of the game.
In the first 16 minutes of play in the second half, Duke flipped the script as they outshot Penn State 7-1, including a pair of back-to-back shots. Despite the Blue Devils pressing, the Nittany Lion defense stood tall to preserve the tie.
Following a Duke foul in the 62nd minute, Emily Ogle (Strongsville, Ohio) fired a set piece on goal, but Duke's EJ Proctor tipped the ball into the crossbar keeping the Nittany Lions off the board.
The Nittany Lion offense tallied two shots in the first overtime period, while the Blue Devils were just held to one. At 92:22, Eckerstrom kept the Blue Devils off the board as she dove to her right for her fourth save of the night.
Looking for the game-winner, Penn State tallied four shots in the first five minutes of the second overtime period. Proctor collected her 10th and final save of the night on Haleigh Echard's (Lebanon, Pa.) shot attempt in the 105th minute.
In all, Penn State outshot Duke 21-14 and posted five corner kicks compared to three from Duke.
Williams led the Nittany Lion attack with five shot attempts, while Weber added four of her own.
Penn State concludes its season-opening homestand Sunday as it hosts Arkansas at 6 p.m.