Oct. 17, 2010
Wisconsin 3, Penn State 2
Jeffrey Field • University Park, Pa.
| |
| |
 |
| 1st | 2nd | Final | Wisconsin (7-4-4, 4-1-2)
| 2
| 1 | 3
| Penn State (6-8-1, 4-2-0)
| 1
| 1
| 2
| | | | | | Goalkeepers
| Min | GA | Sv | WIS
| Michele Dalton (W, 8-3-3)
| 90:00 | 2
| 8
| | PSU | Krissy Tribbett (L, 6-8-1) | 90:00 | 3
| 1 | | Stats at a Glance
| WIS
| PSU
| Shots
| 11
| 19 | Shots on Goal
| 4
| 10
| Saves
| 8
| 1
| Offsides
| 0
| 1
| Corner Kicks
| 4
| 7
| Yellow Cards
| -- | -- | Red Cards
| -- | -- | | |
| |
• Final Stats | Final Stats 
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Wisconsin women’s soccer team had an answer late and scored its second-ever win over Penn State on Sunday, with a 3-2 victory allowing the Badgers to move past the Nittany Lions into sole possession of second place in the Big Ten Conference standings.
Less than a minute after PSU tied things up, Wisconsin (7-4-4, 4-1-2 Big Ten) broke the 2-2 deadlock on a goal by Kodee Williams in the 79th minute.
The game-winning score was enough to give the Badgers their first win over Penn State (6-8-1, 4-2-0) since Nov. 4, 1995.
“It felt really good especially because we had been fighting to win during the whole game,” Williams said of her second career goal. “It was a real battle. The game meant so much to us, because it was Coach Wilkins’ old field. It was definitely a great moment.”
Fast Facts
| • Badgers are now 2-15-4 all-time against Penn State
| • UW trails only Ohio State (6-0) in the Big Ten standings
| • Nosbusch leads team with 5 goals, 10 points on season
| |
The win was an especially emotional victory for Wisconsin head coach Paula Wilkins, who spent six seasons with the Nittany Lions before taking over Wisconsin’s program in 2007.
“I am just very proud of the team’s ability to continue to fight the entire 90 minutes,” Wilkins said. “Penn State is a very tough environment to play at, and hats off to our team for sticking with it.
“Penn State has some very talented forwards and midfielders, who found their chances on us, but it was great to see us come back and get that last goal.”
The Cardinal and White took an early 1-0 lead at the 17-minute mark, when freshman Catie Sessions (Woodbury, Minn.) took a free kick that deflected off a PSU defender into the Nittany Lions’ net. The goal marked Sessions’ first goal of her collegiate career.
Wisconsin scored its second goal less than 15 minutes later when Sessions took another free kick. This time, from the right side of the field, she sent the ball into the 6-yard box, where junior co-captain Laurie Nosbusch (Mequon, Wis.) knocked it into the lower left corner in the 33rd minute.
The goal was Nosbusch’s fifth tally of the season and Session’s third assist and fifth point as a Badger.
“It felt really good to get two results off of a set piece that we had been working on extensively in training,” Sessions said. “On that second goal Laurie put everything she had into it and put herself in perfect to position to capitalize on the play. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have gotten the result that we did on that set piece.”
In the 37th minute, PSU decreased the deficit when Tani Costa knocked the ball into the net from the top of the box off a cross from teammate Megan Monroig.
The Badger attack had the majority of the offensive opportunities in the first half, outshooting the Nittany Lions 8-5, with two shots on goal.
The second half saw plenty of excitement for both teams, with the Lions notching a goal in the 77 minute. PSU’s Maya Hayes tied the score at 2-2 with a shot to the lower left corner form 15 yards out.
However, before the Lions could stop to take a breath, Williams returned from a short substitution to score the game-winner in the 78th minute.
With a 16 mph wind at their back in the second half, Penn State outshot the Badgers 14-3 over the final 45 minutes of play and 19-11 overall.
Wisconsin senior goalkeeper Michele Dalton (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) stopped eight of the Nittany Lions’ shot attempts for saves, including seven in the second half. Penn State’s Krissy Tribbet recorded three saves in net for PSU.
Fans can watch Wisconsin’s 3-2 victory over the Nittany Lions at 3:30 p.m. (CT) Sunday on the Big Ten Network.
The Badgers host Michigan State on Friday at 7 p.m. (CT) before concluding the weekend at home against Michigan on Sunday at 1 p.m.
