Men’s Soccer Wins Overtime Thriller Against NorthwesternMen’s Soccer Wins Overtime Thriller Against Northwestern
Mark Selders

Men’s Soccer Wins Overtime Thriller Against Northwestern

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's soccer team (6-2-2, 3-1-1 Big Ten) picked up another crucial three points in Big Ten Conference play as it won in overtime over Northwestern (5-7-1, 1-3-1 Big Ten), 3-2, Saturday evening at Jeffrey Field.

"Our resilience and our determination are fantastic, and it was a really difficult game tonight," said head coach Jeff Cook. "Northwestern poses a lot of problems even with 10 men, but to go behind and then get the lead, and then lose the lead and wind up in overtime, you see our depth and our quality. It comes down to character and will power sometimes and we had to find a way to get three points and the lead, and no matter how it came, we just kept striving for it as a group and I think that tells you about the spirit that we have in this team. It's an important victory at home in very difficult circumstances. The way that the pattern of the game emerged, I give tons of credit to our guys tonight."

Both teams traded multiple shots in the first half, but none of which were on goal. Penn State outshot Northwestern, 9-2, after the first period.

In the 17th minute, the Nittany Lions were in the breakaway before freshman Liam Butts was tripped up right outside the box, drawing a red card for Northwestern and giving Penn State the opportunity to play man-up for the remainder of the game.

The Wildcats then took an early lead out of the break after an unfortunate Nittany Lion turnover in the box resulted in the goal.

Penn State was not shaken, however, and scored seven minutes later to tie it up. Graduate transfer Will Campbell's left-footed pass found junior Callum Pritchatt in the top-right corner of the box and he took one dribble before his left-footed shot went past the Wildcat keeper and into the back of the net.


Less than five minutes later after a scramble in the box, Butts went top-right shelf on Northwestern to give Penn State the 2-1 lead.


The Wildcats tied the game in the 85th minute off a free kick to send the game to overtime.

With less than two minutes remaining in overtime, senior captain Aaron Molloy had a shot off a throw in that was saved by Northwestern before Butts cleaned up the rebound for the golden goal.


That is the second golden goal Butts has recorded in conference play and the second multiple-goal game of the rookie's young career.

Penn State finished the match with a dominating 26-6 advantage in shots and 11-4 in corner kicks.

The Nittany Lions now stand atop the Big Ten standings with 10 points.

Penn State takes a break from conference play on Tuesday, Oct. 15 when in-state rival Pittsburgh comes to Jeffrey Field for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Game Notes:

  • Freshman Liam Butts has two multi-goal games this season and a team-high five goals on the season for 10 total points.
  • Butts also has three game-winning goals, including two in overtime conference games.
  • Penn State moved to 26-8-4 all-time against Northwestern.
  • The Nittany Lions continue to have their best record through 10 games and five conference games since 2014.