Penn State Women’s Soccer Advances to Sweet 16

Penn State women’s soccer punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a 2-0 win over Wake Forest on Friday evening in Morgantown, W. Va.

Clutch goals from Alina Ortega Jurado and Laura Freigang proved to be the difference for the Nittany Lions in a close match.

How It Happened

Erica Dambach’s squad headed into halftime locked in a scoreless tie with the Demon Deacons, but Penn State would strike quickly in the second half. Ortega Jurado took a cross from Maddie Elliston and headed into the far right corner of the net to make it 1-0 in the 59th minute.

Freigang followed soon after with her team-high ninth goal of the season a second into the 66th. Marissa Sheva found the sophomore midfielder outside the box before she fired a 20-yard gem past Wake Forest goalkeeper Lindsay Preston to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead.

.@PennStateWSOC moved closer to a spot in the NCAA Tournament third round thanks to an upper-90 bullet from Laura Freigang. The Nittany Lions lead Wake Forest 2-0 with 15 minutes left. pic.twitter.com/ixKVpTNg9M

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 17, 2017

Freigang notched her first career hat trick in Penn State’s 7-0 win over Stony Brook in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Penn State goalie Rose Chandler turned in a tremendous showing against the Demon Deacons, tallying five saves in the victory. Senior forward Frannie Crouse made the start after missing a few matches toward the end of the regular season due to injury.

Player Of The Match

Alina Ortega Jurado | Junior | Midfielder

Both of Penn State’s German standouts scored, but Ortega Jurado’s served as the game-winner.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (14-4-4) will face the winner of No. 2 seed West Virginia and Rutgers on Sunday at 5 p.m.