Nov. 13, 2008
MADISON, Wis. -
Simply put, the Northwestern men's soccer team refused to be denied. Trailing by a goal late in regulation, the Wildcats got the game-tying score from Matt Eliason with under five minutes remaining and then the game-winner from Carl Pett in the second overtime session as NU came from behind to defeat Penn State 2-1 in the opening game of the 2008 Big Ten Men's Soccer Tournament.
With the victory, fourth-seeded Northwestern (13-3-2) advances to play top-seeded Michigan State in Friday's first semifinal contest at 11 a.m.
"The one thing we were really missing this year was a comeback win against a good team," NU head coach Tim Lenahan said. "Penn State is much better than their record indicates.
"It gets us back on track here a little bit. Now we've got another shot at Michigan State and this one will be on neutral ground."
The teams played to a scoreless draw through an evenly played the first half with the Wildcats earning the best scoring chance. With just over 13 minutes remaining in the period, Tyler Voigt played a cross from the right flank. Eliason was streaking in at the far post, but his header went just high.
Penn State (5-11-3) finished with an 8-5 advantage in shots over the opening 45 minutes of play.
The Nittany Lions were the first to tally when they got on the board at the 51:30 mark. MacKenzie Arment played the ball to Jacobo Vera at the top of the box. Vera possessed the ball and then turned and fired a shot that found the back of the net to put the tournament's No. 5 seed ahead.
NU nearly got the game-tying goal six minutes later, but Peter O'Neill's blast from 25 yards out clanged squarely off the crossbar.
The Wildcats kept the pressure on throughout the remainder of the contest and finally cashed in with just 4:40 left in regulation. O'Neill started the play with a long service to the end line that fellow freshman Oliver Kupe was able to track down. Kupe maneuvered his way around a defender and found a wide-open Eliason at the top of the six-yard box. The sophomore did the rest, beating PSU keeper Warren Gross far-post for the tying score.
The squads battled through and opening 10-minute overtime period before Northwestern earned the winning tally 3:19 into the second extra session. Blades made a run into the box and his initial shot was blocked to the front of the cage. Eliason's rebound attempt deflected and hit the crossbar before going to a waiting Pett on the doorstep who headed the ball home to send the Wildcats away victorious.
Penn State finished with a slim 13-12 edge in shots for the contest while each team had two corner kicks. Misha Rosenthal made three saves to earn the win in goal for NU.
Northwestern's contest against Michigan State on Friday is being televised live by Big Ten Network. The Spartans clinched the Big Ten regular season title with a 1-0 win over the Wildcats Nov. 2 in East Lansing.
"Michigan State had a great regular season and a great Big Ten regular season," Pett said. "It's going to be another great matchup. Fortunately for us, they're not going to be playing at home in front of a huge crowd. It's going to be a good game. I think a lot of our guys are starting to get warmed up and are starting to feel it and are really excited for a chance to win tomorrow."