Penn State hosted its final non-conference game on Sunday, and it couldn’t have gone any better for the team’s 11 seniors.
The Nittany Lions scored the game-winner in the first half and found themselves then playing defense in the second. The final score was 2-1 Penn State.
Jordan Fusco was the first to break the silence using speed, agility, and footwork to get around Columbia’s defenders. She ripped a right-foot strike from outside the box and it landed in the bottom right corner.
“I think she’s the best in the country dribbling out of the backline and when she picks up the ball I think she is faster with the ball than she is without and that’s really hard to deal with,” Coach Erica Dambach said.
Before the goal, Kaitlyn MacBean and Amelia White tested Columbia’s Lauren Rodriguez’s alertness and she passed. The duo set up a shot and Rodriguez stopped it. MacBean later tried Rodriguez’s patience, but nailed the crossbar instead.
Columbia had their first chance at a goal with 35 minutes left when Penn State goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh came way out of the box, but she had to retreat as the Lions were coming fast. She ended up saving the ball before it came close to the net.
Fans got into the game when they wanted a few calls from the referees that they didn’t get, which added to the emotion of senior day. With 38 minutes remaining in the first, Elle Kershner snatched up a pass from Julia Raich, who was able to get a penalty. Mieke Schiemann converted it into a goal.
The 2-0 score lasted for the first few minutes of the second until Nata Rodriguez capitalized on intercepting a pass deep in Penn State’s defense driving the ball into the net. Columbia cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Nittany Lions will now have all Big Ten opponents for the rest of their season. Penn State hosts Northwestern Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“We had the No. 1 strength of schedule coming into the season, which I think has been great,” Fusco said. “It’s prepared us in so many ways.”
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By FAN – US
