Johnson's PK Save Lifts Huskers to 1-0 Win at No. 24 Northwestern

Bridgeview, Ill. - Caroline Buelt scored a 15th-minute goal, and Erika Johnson saved a penalty kick with 31 seconds left to spark the Nebraska soccer team to a 1-0 shutout on the road against No. 24 Northwestern on Thursday night at Toyota Park, home of Major League Soccer's Chicago Fire.

The Huskers (6-6-2, 2-4-2 Big Ten) snapped a three-game skid and did so by recording their first Big Ten road win since Oct. 20, 2013. Nebraska now has two wins and a draw against ranked teams this season. 

Northwestern (10-4-2, 4-3-1 Big Ten) lost for just the second time this year at home. The Wildcats had a slight edge in shots (10-7) and shots on goal (5-3). The Huskers had a 4-3 edge in corner kicks.

The first shot of the match for either team was Buelt's goal at the 14:15 mark. The freshman gathered a ball in space and scored from 20 yards out for her first career goal. Buelt finished with four of the Big Red's seven shots in the match.

Nebraska nearly doubled its lead in the 63rd minute, but a Caroline Flynn header hit the crossbar.

Northwestern had a golden opportunity to force overtime when it was awarded a penalty kick with 31 seconds remaining. But Johnson came up huge with a save on Niki Sebo's shot. Johnson finished with five saves, none bigger than the final one. 

The Huskers conclude their weekend road trip at Illinois on Sunday at 2 p.m. The match will be broadcast on BTN.