UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sophomore Kerry Abello netted a pair of goals en route to a 2-0 win over Minnesota on Senior Day for the No. 21 Penn State women's soccer team Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field. With the win, Penn State clinched the 2018 Big Ten regular season title outright. The title is No. 19 for the Nittany Lions and marks the 15th time Penn State has won the title outright.
"Great day on Jeffrey Field," head coach Erica Dambach said. "Obviously an honor to win the Big Ten regular season title outright and I think that this group today established themselves as the best team in the conference. I think that there were times throughout this season where that was in doubt, but I think we have gotten stronger as the conference season has gone on and playing some of our best soccer right now."
With winds at roughly 15 miles per hour at the start of the match, offense was limited for both teams. On the afternoon, the two teams combined for three shots on goal.
The Nittany Lions (13-5-0, 9-2-0 Big Ten) struck first in the 13th minute of play as Alina Ortega Jurado played a ball to Abello from the Nittany Lion backline. With the ball, Abello moved into the Minnesota (9-8-1, 5-5-1 Big Ten) box and fired a shot past Minnesota goalkeeper Maddie Nielsen for her sixth goal of the season.
With the first 45 minutes of play in the books, Penn State led Minnesota, 1-0, and held a 6-1 shot advantage.
The Nittany Lions then extended their lead in the 69th minute on Abello's seventh goal of 2018. On the second Abello tally, Charlotte Williams played a through ball past the Golden Gopher defense to the feet of Abello. With the ball, Abello continued her run and placed a shot past Nielsen to make it 2-0 in favor of the Blue & White.
The stout Penn State defense was once again on display as the Nittany Lions allowed only six shot attempts and did not allow a shot on goal.
In net, Amanda Dennis did not have to record a save for her fifth solo shutout of the year.
No. 21 Penn State enters the 2018 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will host a Big Ten quarterfinal match on Oct. 28 at Jeffrey Field. The time and opponent will be finalized on Oct. 24 following Nebraska hosting Michigan State.