COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two first half goals lifted sixth seed Penn State over second seed Northwestern in the B1G tournament semifinals on Thursday evening clinching the Nittany Lions a spot in the championship match on Sunday.
Penn State played Northwestern for the first time this season and eliminated them from the tournament behind a total team effort.
The match saw goals from Kate Wiesner and Payton Linnehan. Linnehan assisted with Wiesner's goal and Penelope Hocking assisted on both goals.
Keeper Katherine Asman tied her season-high nine saves which she made earlier this season at Stanford. Asman also earned her ninth clean sheet of the season.
With the win, PSU moves to 12-4-3 overall while NU is now 14-4-2.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State made a statement early, getting on the board in the third minute as Wiesner scored her first goal of the season on assists by Linnehan and Hocking.
The Nittany Lions would make it a two-goal game in the 19th minute. Hocking took a shot and collected her own deflection off the post. She passed the ball inside finding Linnehan wide open who booted it in on one touch.
The PSU defense and keeper Asman did their part to keep the Wildcats scoreless. They allowed just two shots in the first half, which Asman easily saved.
Penn State's defense did well to hold onto their 2-0 lead throughout the second half.
The Wildcats out-shot the Nittany Lions 12 to two in the second half, but PSU did their part to keep the match scoreless with Asman making seven saves en route to the clean sheet.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions advance to the B1G Tournament Championship match facing first seed Michigan State at 2 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 6, at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio.
The Penn State women's soccer season is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
