Nov. 6, 2015
By Jack Dougherty, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Penn State women's soccer team defeated Michigan, 1-0, on Friday evening to advance to the Big Ten Tournament championship match (Sunday at 2 p.m.).
Michigan made it much harder for Penn State than it did last week, however. The Nittany Lions cruised past the Wolverines 3-1 in the regular season finale, and Michigan made some major adjustments Friday night.
Most notably, the Wolverines camped three center backs and five total defenders on the back line. The midfield group also played behind the ball all game, leaving little space for Penn State's offensive attack to operate.
"I thought Ogle and Rodriguez were exceptional today," said head coach Erica Walsh. "You can't play against a packed defense without midfielders that can swing the ball and penetrate. Both of them showed the ability to do that. They were the key tonight."
Emily Ogle was the focal point of the offense Friday night. The sophomore touched the ball on seemingly every attack and controlled possession in the middle of the pitch all night. Her patience against the stacked box kept Penn State composed.
"Michigan came out with a totally new game plan," Ogle said. "We had to figure out a different way to break them down and one of the biggest things was being patient and swinging the ball and not forcing it."
After a slow first half that didn't feature many quality chances, Walsh looked to the back line to mix things up. In the 61st minute, Ellie Jean entered the game at left back and moved center back Elizabeth Ball to striker. Ball was a standout scorer in her high school days, so she represents the secret weapon for PSU offensively.
Ball wasn't able to get on the board, but the change left Michigan's defense partly confused. A minute later, Jean made a run forward and found Frannie Crouse on the left side of the box who struck a high-arching shot that cleared the goalkeeper's reach and found the far corner of the net.
The goal marked Crouse's second in the tournament and eighth of the season.
Michigan sent a barrage of 10 shots at goalie Britt Eckerstrom in the second half, but the redshirt senior stood her ground and recorded her seventh shutout win of 2015.
The Nittany Lions will meet No. 3 Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament championship on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Scarlet Knights defeated Penn State, 1-0, back on Oct. 18.