EVANSTON, Ill. – The Penn State men's soccer team (4-1-0, 4-1-0 Big Ten) picked up three important points in Big Ten play with an overtime victory on the road at Northwestern (2-4-1, 2-4-1 Big Ten) Friday afternoon at Martin Stadium. Junior Danny Bloyou netted the golden goal for the Nittany Lions in the 92nd minute on the assist from freshman Tyger Evans.
"Today was a very challenging game. Northwestern, I felt, played very well throughout the course of the match and presented us with a lot of problems we had to deal with," said head coach Jeff Cook. "I'm very impressed with the concentration and discipline of our team to stay focused on our performance and to score a terrific goal early in overtime."
Penn State showed a lot of patience to find the back of the net as the team totaled 14 shots and seven on target during the 90 minutes of regulation.
Sophomore Kyle May took the Nittany Lions' first shot on goal in the 20th minute but Northwestern goalkeeper Ethan Bandre was there for the save to keep the game scoreless.
The Wildcats fired back with their first shot at the net in the 29th minute but sophomore goalkeeper Kris Shakes made the save.
Redshirt sophomore Josh Dabora and senior transfer Jose Palomeque also both had shots on goal in the first half for Penn State as the Nittany Lions would take a 5-3 offensive advantage of shots into the break.
Similarly to Monday's game against Rutgers, Penn State came out of halftime hot and looking for a goal, as May, Bloyou and sophomore Liam Butts all fired off good looks within the first 12 minutes.
Shakes then made three good saves for the Nittany Lions in a span of 10 minutes to keep the Northwestern offense in check as the defense was hoping for its first shutout of the season.
Regulation would end with goose eggs on the board for both teams as the Nittany Lions and Wildcats would head to extra time for the second-straight season.
Penn State decided there was no reason for overtime to go very long, as Evans and Bloyou connected for the golden goal in the 92nd minute to send the Nittany Lions home happy.
91' | ALL IT TAKES IS ONE!!!!!
— Penn State Men's Soccer (@PennStateMSOC) March 19, 2021
Danny Bloyou sends the Nittany Lions home with three points on the golden goal!!! Assist Tyger Evans and Penn State moves to 4-1-0!!!#WeAre pic.twitter.com/YuCg1DdNCa
Shakes earned his third win of the season in net with four saves as he and the defense picked up their first shutout of the season.
UP NEXT
Penn State returns to Happy Valley and Jeffrey Field for two-straight home games. The Nittany Lions will first welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes to town on Tuesday, March 23 for a 5 p.m. kickoff. Penn State will then host the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, March 27 for a 2 p.m. kickoff on senior day. Both games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network+.
GAME NOTES
- Junior transfer Danny Bloyou netted his first career game-winning goal.
- Freshman Tyger Evans now has assists on Bloyou goals in two consecutive games.
- Penn State beat Northwestern in overtime for the second-straight season and now holds a four-game unbeaten streak over the Wildcats dating back to the 2017 season.
- The Nittany Lions outshot the Wildcats, 15-6. Penn State has taken 13 or more shots in four of five games this season to pace the rest of the league.