Penn State Women’s Soccer Defeats Indiana Behind Canniff’s Brace

Story posted October 14, 2021 in CommRadio, Sports by Neil Conley

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 3-0 at Jeffrey Field on Wednesday night.

Jordan Canniff played a significant role in Penn State’s win, scoring two of the three goals for the squad.
The statistics were fairly even for Penn State and Indiana. Neither team dominated major categories such as shots, shots on goal, saves and fouls.

Penn State had six of its nine shots on goal and Indiana managed to put four of its seven shots on goal. The Nittany Lions had four saves while the Hoosiers had three saves.

Indiana fouled more as they recorded seven fouls to Penn State’s five. The Nittany Lions capitalized on the Hoosiers’ mistakes, which put them in scoring positions.

Penn State head coach Erica Dambach believed the team used its gameplan and was consistent throughout the game. Dambach was impressed with the team’s performance in all areas.

Penn State’s leading goal scorer Sam Coffey earned her eighth goal of the season scoring on a successful penalty kick early in the second-half.

“She’s Sam Coffey,” Dambach said. “When the game’s on the line, I want Sam Coffey on the ball.”

Canniff did not miss for the Nittany Lions, scoring on both of her shots. The substitute used her 28 minutes of playing time effectively making a two-goal contribution to the team.

“Jordan Canniff is an absolute class player and she showed her class tonight,” Dambach said. “She has battled back from injury, she’s put the time into rehab and you see it paying off for her and our team tonight.”

“For me, she was the player of the match,” Dambach said. “That is Jordan Canniff’s quality and I think we’ll see more and more of that.”

Canniff thought the team’s work as one unit brought opportunities and success. She detailed why this Penn State team’s offense is special.

“I think just the way that we play together and work off of each other, we’re just a powerhouse up top,” Canniff said.
Canniff explained how players such as Ally Schlegel and Coffey, along with the versatility and ability to rotate as a team, adds to the cohesiveness of the Nittany Lion offense.

The Nittany Lions are 28-1-2 since 1994 against the Hoosiers. The last loss Penn State suffered versus Indiana was in 1996.

Penn State improves to 9-5 overall with the shutout, while Indiana falls to 9-3-3.

The Nittany Lions now have two straight victories with the Hoosiers losing their first game since September when they were beaten by the Michigan State Spartans.

Both teams play this upcoming Sunday, Oct. 17. Penn State hosts Purdue and Indiana travels to Maryland.

 

Neil Conley is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email nzc5252@psu.edu.