PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Second-half goals by Ally Schlegel and Sam Coffey propelled the Penn State women's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. The Nittany Lions meet the winner of Rutgers and Michigan on Sunday, November 10.
On a cold and windy day, the Nittany Lions offense was hot from the opening kick. The Nittany Lions earned a corner kick in the first minute of the match and Payton Linnehan nearly gave Penn State a 1-0 lead in the second minute as she sent a blast on goal that went just high of the goal.
With the wind at their backs, the Nittany Lions kept the ball in Purdue territory for nearly the entire first half. Penn State registered six shots and had six corner kicks in the first half. The Penn State defense allowed just one shot in the first half.
Despite the strong offensive effort by the Nittany Lions the game remained tied 0-0 after the first 45 minutes of action.
The Nittany Lions offense picked up right where they left off in the first half.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Ally Schlegel, netted the first goal of the game for Penn State in the 62nd minute. Junior Sam Coffey sent a swinging pass into the box that found freshman Jordan Canniff. Canniff redirected the pass to Schlegel who headed the ball into the back of the net for her 12th goal of the season.
Penn State extended its lead in the 73rd minute. Following a Penn State corner, Caitlin Haislip sent a strong shot on goal that hit a Boilermakers defender. The Nittany Lions were awarded a penalty kick as a result of Haislip's shot hitting the defenders hand in the box.
Sam Coffey elected to take the penalty kick and calmly drilled her shot into the net to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead.
Another fantastic defensive effort by the Nittany Lions allowed just one shot on goal for the Boilermakers and Penn State held on for a 2-0 win.
It was the third consecutive shutout for the Nittany Lions, who haven't allowed a goal since October 20th against Northwestern.
Penn State will be pursing its eighth Big Ten Tournament title in program history. Head coach Erica Dambach looks to win her fourth Big Ten Tournament title since taking over as the head coach of Penn State. She has won 10 Big Ten regular season titles.
The championship game will be played on Sunday, November 8 at 12 p.m. ET.
