Things couldn’t have started any worse for Purdue Thursday at the Big Ten women’s tournament.
The seventh-ranked Boilermakers fell behind Northwestern on a goal by Kelsey Hans 61 seconds in the game and soon thereafter Big Ten Player of the Year Parrissa Eyorokon was injured and finished for the day.
But that didn’t stop the Boilermakers from advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 win at the University of Minnesota’s Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
The Boilermakers (17-2-2) are likely to be playing without Eyorokon Friday when they face Illinois. She left Robbie Stadium on crutches, and her role for the remainder of the postseason was undetermined.
Northwestern had allowed only one goal in its previous six games, but the Wildcats succumbed on an own goal in the 34th minute. Canadian Loredana Riverso scored the other two goals for Purdue, giving her 10 for the season.
By comparison, regular-season champion Penn State’s 3-1 win over Iowa was easy.
Aubrey Aden-Buie, Katie Schoepfer and Danielle Toney scored for the Nittany Lions, who held off a late Hawkeye challenge.
In the other quarterfinals, Illinois edged host Minnesota, 4-3, in a shootout after their game ended 2-2.
Two second-half goals had the Gophers on the verge of pulling an upset, but Canadian Emily Zurrer tied the score for Illinois with just under four minutes to play in regulation.
Sophomore Ashley Bowyer scored in overtime to give No. 5 seed Ohio State a 2-1 victory over No. 4 Indiana Thursday.
Dickenmann, the Swiss international, has either scored or assisted on five overtime game-winning goals this season.
BIG TEN
Quarterfinals
Nov. 8 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Penn State 3 (Aden-Buie 23, Toney 48, 84) Iowa 1 (McLaughlin 80).
Purdue 3 (Riverso 13, 87, own goal 34) Northwestern 1 (Hans 2).
Minnesota 2 (Grimwood 59, Schwartz 63) Illinois 2 (Gostisha 35, Zurrer 87) (OT).
(Illinois wins 4-3 on penalties.)
Indiana 1 (McCarthy 54) Ohio State 2 (Jenkins 57, Bowyer 98) (OT).