CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Despite taking an early one-goal lead in the 14th minute of play, the fourth-seeded and 22nd-ranked Penn State women’s soccer team dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 decision in overtime to the second-seeded and eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championships from Dorrance Field.
The Nittany Lions completed one of their most challenging seasons in program history on Friday night, with the Blue & White wrapping the program’s 31st varsity season with a 15-7-3 overall record paired with a 5-4-2 mark against Big Ten Conference challengers. Penn State played its 12th match of the year against a nationally ranked challenger, including its seventh match of the year against a top-10 foe. The Blue & White extended their NCAA Tournament appearance streak to 30 consecutive seasons, marking the second-longest active NCAA Tournament streak in the nation. PSU reached the Sweet 16 for the eighth season in a row, marking the longest run of consecutive Sweet 16 berths in women’s college soccer while advancing to the program’s second consecutive national quarterfinal.
North Carolina came away with victories in a multitude of statistical categories, with the Tar Heels out-shooting PSU by a 31-8 margin in addition to a 7-4 differential in terms of shots on goal. The Nittany Lions booked four saves against a trio of stops for the Tar Heels. In the corner kick competition, North Carolina came away with a 4-2 win, marking the 10th opponent corner kick victory of the season for a PSU challenger. The Blue & White were flagged offsides on a trio of occasions while UNC was caught off twice. In a controversial match from the officiating crew, Penn State was whistled for 10 fouls against nine whistles for UNC, with the Nittany Lions earning one caution while the Tar Heels were carded twice.
On an individual basis, freshman midfielder Katie Scott continued an electric stretch of performances in her first NCAA Tournament, with the rookie burying her second goal of the tournament in addition to the second goal of her collegiate career. Scott’s first collegiate score came against Stony Brook in the opening round of the tournament from Jeffrey Field, with Scott contributing to the highest-scoring match in Nittany Lion history with Penn State’s 8-1 thrashing of the Seawolves. In her final collegiate match, senior defender Mieke Schiemann contributed an assist to Scott’s goal,…
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