PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Junior Kaleigh Craig matcher her career high with four goals for the fourth time this season and senior Kara Mupo recorded a hat trick, but it was not enough as Northwestern fell to Penn State in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament Friday evening, 13-10.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 12-6 on the season as they will await their draw for the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament Selection Show will air on Sunday evening at 8 CT.
Like a pair of heavyweight fighters, the Wildcats and Nittany Lions exchanged punches in the first half. The Lions struck first with a 3-0 run to open the game, only for the `Cats to punch right back with four-straight goals to take their first lead of the game, 4-3.
After falling behind, 3-0, senior Kara Mupo got the Wildcats on the board with her first goal of the half at the 23:17 mark. Freshman Selena Lasota followed with her 58th goal of the season on a feed from classmate Corinne Wessels and junior Kaleigh Craig scored just 38 seconds later to tie the game, 3-3.
Mupo scored her second goal of the half with 20:26 on the clock to give the `Cats the lead, 4-3.
Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions responded with a 4-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead, 7-4.Tatum Coffey scored on a free-position and Kristin Brent scored 40 seconds later to give the Lions the lead back before Steph Lazo and Jenna Mosketti capped the run.
Craig finally ended the run with 7:27 left in the half and after a goal by Madison Cyrc, scored again with just 44 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to two going into halftime, 8-6.
The Nittany Lions struck first to open the second half on a goal by Lazo, but sophomore Sheila Nesselbush scored a free-position goal and Mupo scored her third of the game at the 24:17 mark to cut the deficit to one, 9-8.
Lazo scored again just under three minutes later, but it didn't take the Wildcats long to respond as Craig fired home her fourth goal of the contest just 1:07 later to again cut the deficit to one, 10-9.
The Nittany Lions finally delivered a blow the Wildcats couldn't recover from, scoring three-straight goals and holding the `Cats without a goal over the next 19 minutes to extend their lead to 13-9.
Nesselbush scored her second goal of the game with 1:48 as the `Cats attempted one last comeback, but the Nittany Lions won the ensuing draw control and ran out the clock to preserve the win. The goal gave Nesselbush her third-straight multi-goal contest.
The `Cats won the draw control battle, 16-9, and had just nine turnovers, but seven saves by Penn State keeper Emi Smith loomed large. Senior Brooke Jones came off the bench and made a career-high four saves to lead the `Cats over the final 35:23 of the contest.
