SLU goalkeeper Emily Puricelli (yellow) tries to make a save against Penn State’s Payton Linnehan during Sunday’s NCAA Tournament third round game at Penn State. (Photo courtesy: Penn State Athletics)
| NCAA Tournament | 1 | 2 | OT 1 | OT 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 SLU (19-3-2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| #2 Penn State (16-2-4) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 21:06 |  | Kaitlyn MacBean (8) Assisted By: Ellie Wheeler, Mieke Schiemann. |
| 22:40 | | Kaitlyn MacBean (9) Assisted By: Kate Wiesner, Michela Agresti. |
| 30:05 |  | Hannah Larson (6) Assisted By: Katie Houck, Hannah Sawyer. |
| 64:07 | | Emily Gaebe (16) Unassisted. |
| 70:12 | | Hannah Larson (7) Unassisted. |
| 86:40 | | Mieke Schiemann (5) Assisted By: Cori Dyke. |
| 97:44 | | Payton Linnehan (10) Assisted By: Olivia Borgen, Kaitlyn MacBean. |
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
STATE COLLEGE, PA — The Saint Louis University women’s soccer team’s magical and historic 2023 season came to end Sunday, when the Billikens lost a heartbreaking game to Penn State, 4-3, in overtime.
The Billikens were ahead 3-2 and were three minutes away from winning and advancing to the NCAA Women’s Championship Elite Eight, but the Nittany Lions scored a goal to tie the game, then scored in overtime to snatch away the victory.
Penn State’s Payton Linnehan won a race to an open ball in front of the Saint Louis net, then drilled a shot past SLU goalkeeper Emily Puricelli to give the Nittany Lions the lead eight minutes into the first overtime period. From there, the hosts played sound defense and didn’t allow SLU any more scoring chances, which allowed them to run out the clock and take home the win.
The contest was a true emotional battle as both teams experienced major ups and downs.
Penn State scored the first two goals of the game, but SLU answered on a score by Hannah Larson in 31st minute. The score was 2-1 at halftime.
Then, Saint Louis scored back-to-back goals in the second half to go ahead 3-2. Atlantic 10 Conference Offensive Player of the Year Emily Gaebe scored her 16th goal of the year in the 65th minute to tie the game. Then, Larson added her second goal of the day, and seventh of the season, to put the Billikens ahead.
With just under 20 minutes to go, SLU tried to maintain its lead against the desperate Penn State offense. The Billikens fought off a number of chances, including a penalty kick with eight minutes to go that Puricelli made a sprawling save to preserve the lead.
Eventually though, Penn State tied the score when a loose ball bounced to Mieke Schiemann, who blasted a shot past Puricelli to make it 3-3.
That sent the game to overtime, when the Nittany Lions scored the one and only goal of the extra period to win the game.
Saint Louis finished its season with a 19-3-2 record, which included both a 12-game winning streak and an 18-game unbeaten streak.
The Billikens also won their fifth Atlantic 10 Conference regular season championship in the last six years, as well as their sixth A-10 Tournament title in a row.
Penn State (16-2-4) will face Clemson in the Elite Eight next weekend, with the winner advancing to the NCAA Final Four in two weeks.