Oct. 29, 2010
Box Score
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Lakeside Field)
Score: No. 9 Penn State 4, Northwestern 2
Records: NU (11-7, 3-2 Big Ten), Penn State (13-4, 4-2 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Oct. 31 vs. Michigan State Noon (Evanston, Ill.)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Despite allowing three first-half goals to Penn State sophomore Kelsey Amy, Northwestern scored on either side of halftime to pull within 3-2 and claim momentum against the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions. But that was as close as NU would come as Amy scored once more down the stretch to give PSU a 4-2 victory Friday afternoon at Lakeside Field.
With the defeat, Northwestern moves to 11-7 overall and 3-2 entering its regular-season finale against No. 11 Michigan State Sunday in Evanston. That game, scheduled to begin at noon CT, will be carried live by the Big Ten Network.
In Northwestern's last outing prior to Friday, it was Chelsea Armstrong who posted four goals and Sarah Marcincin who recorded four assists in a 4-2 NU win over Iowa. On Friday, the tables were turned on the Wildcats as Amy could not miss from her shooting perch on the left wing.
Penn State was fortunate to make the most of its penalty corner tries as the NU defense -- led by seniors Sarah Marcincin and Stacy Uchida -- held the Nittany Lions without a field shot on goal for the entire game.
"That's the way this game is sometimes, I'd say Kelsey (Amy) was on with her shot the same way Chelsea was Sunday at Iowa," said Northwestern head coach Tracey Fuchs. "It was great the way we responded and I still liked our chances in the second half because of the energy we were playing with. We need to bring that again on Sunday from the opening whistle."
After an even opening 20 minutes of play, Amy scored the first of her four goals in the 22nd minute and matched the feat twice more over the next eight minutes. Each time, Amy took a direct feed off a penalty corner from Jessica Longstreth and blasted her shot through the NU defense.
The 'Cats put themselves back in contention in the final minute before halftime when senior Zoe Almquist ripped a shot on goal that was deflected into the cage by Penn State goalkeeper Ayla Halus. It was Almquist's seventh goal of the season and the 10th of her career.
Only three minutes after the start of the second half, Northwestern narrowed its deficit to one goal thanks to a great hustle play by Kaylee Pohlmeyer and Regan Mooney. With Nikki Parsley sprinting the ball up field on a fast break, Pohlmeyer and Mooney worked to get ahead of the play and were in prime position when Parsley finally dumped the ball into the arc. The two 'Cats converged on the ball and Pohlmeyer put her last touch around Halus from eight yards out.
Parsley was nearly the source of the equalizer midway through the second when she found herself alone for a shot in the circle, but Halus got her leg to it for a clutch kick save. It was one of nine shots on the game for Northwestern and one of five Halus saves.
NU continued to press but Amy sealed the win for the visitors when her penalty corner shot deflected off the pads of a sprawled Amanda Wirth and into the back netting.
Northwestern's Sunday finale with Michigan State is a rematch from two weeks ago, when MSU eked out a 2-1 victory in East Lansing in what was technically a nonconference contest.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!