Soccer beats Penn State 2-1 in OT on Vanessa DiBernardo golden goal, wins Big Ten Tournament championship
November 6, 2011 9:52 PM
DiBernardo connects for game-winner against No. 11 Penn State in overtime
No. 18 Illinois soccer won its second Big Ten Tournament Championship in program history with an overtime victory against No. 11 Penn State, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon. Senior midfielder Julie Ewing connected in the opening minutes, while sophomore midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo scored in overtime to secure the automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. In the 93rd minute, DiBernardo controlled a pass from junior midfielder Nicole Denenberg and placed a shot into the lower-left corner of the goal netting to send the Illini away from Northwestern's Lakeside Field undefeated in their previous 11 contests.
"I don't even know what to say about the tenacity and determination of this team," Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said. "When it went to overtime they suddenly came alive and said 'overtime is our time.' We had to keep them from running out on to the field to get it started. This team showed a lot of heart since going 0-2-1 to start the Big Ten season to be here right now. It shows how much this team has grown in the last 12 weeks and this is a great moment for them to enjoy."
fightingillini.com
No. 18 Illinois soccer won its second Big Ten Tournament Championship in program history with an overtime victory against No. 11 Penn State, 2-1, on Sunday afternoon. Senior midfielder Julie Ewing connected in the opening minutes, while sophomore midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo scored in overtime to secure the automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Tournament. In the 93rd minute, DiBernardo controlled a pass from junior midfielder Nicole Denenberg and placed a shot into the lower-left corner of the goal netting to send the Illini away from Northwestern's Lakeside Field undefeated in their previous 11 contests.
"I don't even know what to say about the tenacity and determination of this team," Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said. "When it went to overtime they suddenly came alive and said 'overtime is our time.' We had to keep them from running out on to the field to get it started. This team showed a lot of heart since going 0-2-1 to start the Big Ten season to be here right now. It shows how much this team has grown in the last 12 weeks and this is a great moment for them to enjoy."
fightingillini.com
Filed under: Illini Soccer
