UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's soccer advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-1 win over Stony Brook on Friday, November 15. The Nittany Lions scored three goals in the second half to advance to the next round of the tournament.
Stony Brook took the early advantage in the match, scoring in the 18th minute to grab a 1-0 lead. Despite outshooting the Seawolves 13-3, the Nittany Lions went into the locker room trailing 1-0.
A trio of juniors scored for the Nittany Lions in the second half to lead Penn State to victory. After falling behind 1-0 in the first half, the Nittany Lions responded with an extremely efficient second half to secure the win. Penn State tied the game in 49th minute on a goal by Frankie Tagliaferri. Ally Schlegel found Tagliaferri for her fifth goal of the season.
Just 50 seconds later, the Nittany Lions took the lead on a goal by Sam Coffey. A great back heel pass by Ally Schlegel set up Coffey who broke through the Stony Brook defense. Coffey carried the ball into the box and placed her shot into the bottom corner of the goal to give Penn State a 2-1 lead.
The Nittany Lion offense was the story of the game, finishing with 25 shots and 12 on goal. Penn State limited the Seawolves to four shots in the match and just one shot in the second half. Penn State also earned eight corner kicks in the match compared to just one by Stony Brook.
Kerry Abello added to the lead in the 63rd minute with her eighth goal of the season. Abello drilled a shot into the top-right corner of the goal to cushion the Nittany Lions lead.
The Nittany Lions improved to 16-6-1 on the season and have won 10-straight games. During the winning streak, Penn State is outscoring its opponents 21-7. Along with the current winning streak, Penn State has won 10-straight NCAA Tournament first round games. In program history the Nittany Lions are 19-3 in NCAA Tournament first-round games.
Penn State will meet the winner of the Arizona vs TCU. The Wildcats and Horned Frogs play Saturday, November 16.
