On a windy Sunday afternoon in Evanston, the Northwestern Wildcats (9-7-1, 3-6-1 B1G) looked to finish the regular season with their heads held up high. This time, they faced the Penn State Nittany Lions (5-9-2, 2-6-2 B1G), who just last year snapped the Wildcats’ 12-game undefeated streak. But things went differently this year, as the Wildcats defeated the Nittany Lions in a well-fought 4-1 win to end the season.

The first few minutes of the match were business as usual. Long passes, striking kicks and both teams warming up. Communication was key for Northwestern’s defensive line, as Penn State kept the 'Cats on their feet for the first five minutes, getting close but not close enough to third-year goalkeeper Rafael Ponce de León’s post.

An early yellow card awarded to Penn State’s first-year midfielder Malick Daouda, followed by fouls in play, gave the Wildcats early chances at the net. Fourth-year midfielder Collin McCamy attempted the first shot of the game, but Penn State's graduate goalkeeper Andrew Cooke protected his territory.

Both teams continued to search for their own rhythm in the game, trading control of both halves of the pitch. At minute 15, Northwestern broke the stalemate with a goal from fourth-year midfielder Paul Son, who found the bottom left of the net. This gave the Wildcats more stamina, and at minute 29, with a slick and easy assist by Son, the Wildcats were up 2-0 with a shot from graduate forward Akinjide Awujo. The points gave the 'Cats plenty of breathing room with 15 minutes left to play in the first half.

The Nittany Lions opted to play defensively in the final minutes of the first half, but the Wildcats’ offense continued to apply pressure. As the whistle was blown, Northwestern kept Penn State to one attempted shot in the first half, compared to their impressive eight shots–including five shots on goal.

In the second half, Penn State attempted the first shot, taking Ponce de León by surprise. The Nittany Lions looked to get on the scoreboard early on, and forced the Wildcats to stay on their half of the pitch for the first ten minutes. Despite the Nittany Lions' ferocious efforts, it was the Wildcats who continued to rack up goals. Awujo scored his second goal of the afternoon at the 60 minute mark, leaving  redshirt first-year goalkeeper Fredrick Grundin still.

Ponce de León made an effort to keep another clean sheet, but the Nittany Lions responded at minute 72, getting up on the scoreboard with a goal from Daouda. However, not even a minute later, the Wildcats responded with another goal from none other than Awujo, scoring his first ever hat trick with the Wildcats and the only one scored in a conference game this season.

As the minutes ticked away, Northwestern's lead held and the team was able to secure the win. Northwestern had not won against Penn State since October 2016, and this victory was a perfect comeback to seal the 2024 soccer season. Despite the season's ups and downs, it deserved to end on a good note, for the fans and the team.

And it did!

Thumbnail photo by AJ Anderson / North by Northwestern