Northwestern Tops Penn State on Senior Day
10/30/2016 3:08:00 PM | Men's Soccer
EVANSTON, Ill. — Riley Kelliher's cross in the 25th minute was headed home by Jeffrey Hopson for the lone goal in Northwestern's 1-0 senior day victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Northwestern is 5-10-1 (3-4-1 B1G) on the campaign, while Penn State drops to 8-7-1 (4-4 B1G) to wrap up its regular season.
Six senior Wildcats, including Nathan Dearth, Brandon Medina, Mike Roberge, Jeffrey Hopson, Getenet Tuji and Drew Rosenberg were honored on the field before the game, to the applause of the crowd at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium.
The six all started, and gave Penn State all they could handle in the opening half hour.
Both teams fired six shots in the hotly contested first half, with Francisco Tomasino making both saves that were required of him.
Northwestern looked dangerous in possession, and were able to strike first in the 25th minute. Drew Rosenberg hit a cross from the left side that found its way all the way across the field to Kelliher, who recycled the ball back into the box, where Hopson met the ball at the near post for his third goal of the season.
The goal sparked Northwestern, who stayed on its front foot for the rest of the half, with Mattias Tomasino and Mike Roberge peppering the goal.
Penn State, searching for a win to guarantee a home game in the Big Ten tournament, came out firing in the second, but Northwestern defended resolutely.
The Nittany Lions took ten shots in the period, with F. Tomasino coming up big whenever he was called upon. He made three saves, while weathering a pair of hits on balls into the box.
Northwestern's back five also made an arrangement of lead saving tackles, including Dearth's last gasp tackle to prevent a one-on-one with just over a minute remaining. The defense made every stop required, as the clock hit zero and Northwestern secured their 1-0 victory.
The Wildcats will play Division III Marion University on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Martin Stadium. First kick is set for 4:30 p.m. CT.
Northwestern finished tied for sixth in the final Big Ten Conference standings and will be the No. 7 seed in the conference's postseason tournament. The Wildcats will travel to play No. 2 Indiana in the quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 6 at noon CT.
Listen to what head coach @Tim_Lenahan had to say following the #B1GCats 1-0 win over Penn State today. https://t.co/pslyJPODSK
— NU Men's Soccer (@NUMensSoccer) October 30, 2016
Northwestern is 5-10-1 (3-4-1 B1G) on the campaign, while Penn State drops to 8-7-1 (4-4 B1G) to wrap up its regular season.
Six senior Wildcats, including Nathan Dearth, Brandon Medina, Mike Roberge, Jeffrey Hopson, Getenet Tuji and Drew Rosenberg were honored on the field before the game, to the applause of the crowd at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium.
The six all started, and gave Penn State all they could handle in the opening half hour.
Both teams fired six shots in the hotly contested first half, with Francisco Tomasino making both saves that were required of him.
Northwestern looked dangerous in possession, and were able to strike first in the 25th minute. Drew Rosenberg hit a cross from the left side that found its way all the way across the field to Kelliher, who recycled the ball back into the box, where Hopson met the ball at the near post for his third goal of the season.
The goal sparked Northwestern, who stayed on its front foot for the rest of the half, with Mattias Tomasino and Mike Roberge peppering the goal.
Penn State, searching for a win to guarantee a home game in the Big Ten tournament, came out firing in the second, but Northwestern defended resolutely.
The Nittany Lions took ten shots in the period, with F. Tomasino coming up big whenever he was called upon. He made three saves, while weathering a pair of hits on balls into the box.
Northwestern's back five also made an arrangement of lead saving tackles, including Dearth's last gasp tackle to prevent a one-on-one with just over a minute remaining. The defense made every stop required, as the clock hit zero and Northwestern secured their 1-0 victory.
The Wildcats will play Division III Marion University on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Martin Stadium. First kick is set for 4:30 p.m. CT.
Northwestern finished tied for sixth in the final Big Ten Conference standings and will be the No. 7 seed in the conference's postseason tournament. The Wildcats will travel to play No. 2 Indiana in the quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 6 at noon CT.
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PSU
NU
Goals
0
1
Shots
16
8
Shots on Goal
5
5
Saves
4
5
Corners
8
2
Fouls
6
11
Scoring Plays

Jeffrey Hopson (3)
Assisted By: Riley Kelliher
Cross from left to right, 6 cross back i
24:42
Game Leaders
Players
Players Mentioned
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