LEWISBURG -- Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher knocked the ball with her hand, only to have it bounce off the post, off of her and eventually out of bounds.
It was that type of night for Naeher.
The Penn State goalie made four saves in 110 minutes, each seeming more amazing than the next. And yet as good as Naeher was, Bucknell's Kathryn Sutton was her equal, totaling eleven saves with an equal flair of the dramatic.
"She was absolutely outstanding," Penn State coach Erica Walsh said of Sutton. "She was the player of the match and she did everything she needed to. She did everything right. I have a ton of respect for that performance that that whole squad just put together."
The two goalies put on a show, with each save raising the bar for the next. Each had multiple diving saves, with Naeher getting some help from the goalpost and Sutton barely getting her foot on the ball.
And despite Penn State's 30 shots, it was Naeher who stood out among the rest.
"She's special," Bucknell coach Ben Landis said. "She has done it to us now twice in a row. Up there we lost a close one. She pulled two saves out that no other keeper saves. Tonight she had two or three like that. She made saves no other keeper we play, or anybody plays, makes. As good as Kat was, I thought Naeher was just as good."
Landis was proud of his own keeper, who set Bucknell records with 13 career shutouts and 11 saves in a game. Sutton's first save on a hard Nittany Lion shot set the tone and gave the Bisons some confidence, Landis said.
"We knew she was gonna have to make saves," he said. "We had confidence we could get a goal. A game that close, right up to the end, ou r kids gave it everything they had to win it. That was the mentality. Again, credit to Naeher for staying in. She's a professional and she did a great job with that."
Naeher said she did everything to keep the ball from going into the back of the net, including using her body and the posts.
The Lion defense gave Naeher a break after the first half, limiting the Bucknell to only four shots, none of which were on goal. Landis credits Naeher for staying alert and ready despite the lack of shots.
Naeher and Sutton both got the biggest rises out of the crowds, with each game-saving dive or play. And Sutton enjoyed every reaction she got.
"Definitely with the breakaway saves, those are big saves and goalkeepers aren't normally expected to make those," Sutton said, "so when we do it definitely pumps up the defense. I had my defenders coming up and saying 'Great job,' 'Keep us in it, keep us in it,' and I know it frustrates the other team forwards so that's kind of nice that way, too."
