ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Penn State women's soccer program fell 3-1 to No. 17 Michigan on Sunday afternoon in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals.
The Nittany Lions run at the Big Ten Tournament Championship fell short, and now they will await the results of the NCAA Selection Show that will take place on Monday, Nov. 8 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Michigan Wolverines controlled possession for most of the match. M-U out-performed PSU in total shots 22 to 10 and shots on goal 10 to 6.
Sam Coffey took the first shot of the match in the eighth minute off a great pass from Ally Schlegel; however, the ball bounced right of the goal.
Over two minutes later, Michigan found the back of the net on their fifth attempt. Wolverine leading scorer Nicki Hernandez headed the ball in off a corner kick by Raleigh Loughman for the 1-0 lead.
In the 13th minute, Schlegel took the Nittany Lions second shot of the match looking for the equalizer, but it was blocked by a Wolverine defender.
By the 21st minute, the Wolverines made it a 2-0 lead with a strike from just inside the penalty box. U-M carried that lead into the half, limiting PSU to 4 shots during the period while taking 12 themselves.
Sam Coffey would also take the first shot of the second half. In the 48th minute, she took a straight shot up the middle, but it went right into the hands of the Wolverines' keeper.
Penn State keeper, Katherine Asman, recorded two more saves before the Nittany Lions next chance in the 62nd minute as Kerry Abello narrowly missed on a set piece opportunity with her shot inching above the crossbar.
It would not be until the 86th minute that PSU found the goal as Schlegel headed the ball in off a corner kick by Coffey to narrow the deficit to 2-1.
With limited time remaining, the Nittany Lions' efforts were dashed in the 90th minute as a miscommunication on defense brought a 2 on 1 opportunity for Michigan. They took advantage with a shot that trickled into the net for the 3-1 lead with just 30 seconds remaining in the match.
With the win, the Wolverines advance to the Big Ten Semifinals, while the Nittany Lions await the results of the NCAA Tournament Selection Show.
The Penn State women's soccer season is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
