Penn State captures its share of the Big Ten Title in a draw with Wisconsin.

MADISON, Wis. - Entering the afternoon looking to capture the Big Ten Regular Season Championship, Penn State did just that on Sunday as their 1-1 draw with the Wisconsin Badgers combined with the results of the Big Ten made Penn State co-champions alongside the Indiana Hoosiers.

Following some solid early chances from the blue and white, it would be Wisconsin who opened the scoring in the 14th minute after a pair of Tim Bielic shot attempts got blocked, with the latter of the two going out for the Badgers' second corner of the match.

Birgir Baldvinsson swung the corner into the box, and it missed everyone but found its way past Kris Shakes to give the Badgers an early 1-0 lead.

Penn State looked to press the attack and had multiple dangerous set-piece opportunities but was continuously stymied by reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week Nate Crockford, who would finish the match with six saves.

The blue and white would enter the locker room down a goal, but as the Nittany Lions returned for the final 45, coach Jeff Cook would announce two things to the television audience that swung the match in Penn State's favor.

Senior defender and co-captain Femi Awodesu would return to the pitch after being forced off during the first half, and Penn State would be making a formation change, switching to a two-striker approach.

With Awodesu back on the pitch and the two-striker system causing problems for the Wisconsin backline, the offense came to life.

Shots from Alex Stevenson and Samson Kpardeh couldn’t find the back of the net, but then the Nittany Lions finally got the equalizer they craved.

In the 67th minute, Kpardeh began an offensive attack before dishing it off to Peter Mangione, who sent a magnificent leading through ball to Van Danielson, and the junior midfielder managed to beat his defender before sending a blast past Crockford to knot the game at one.

The Nittany Lions would do their best to break the deadlock, but some late misses combined with superb play from the Wisconsin backline would stymie the blue and white’s attempt to walk away with three points.

With the draw, Penn State finishes the regular season 9-3-4, while Wisconsin finishes 6-4-6.

Despite finishing tied atop the conference, Penn State will be the second seed in the Big Ten Tournament, as Indiana holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, making the Hooisers the top seed.

Next up for the Nittany Lions is the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, as the blue and white will host Rutgers on Friday. The kick-off time has yet to be announced.

Ben Palillo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.