Penn State had to overcome its worst seed in program history, a first-round penalty shoot-out, overtime in the semifinals and a championship game plagued with two weather delays and a first half deficit to win its seventh Big Ten Tournament Title in the program’s history.

The Nittany Lions scored twice in an eight minute span in the second half to beat second seeded Northwestern, 2-1.

Sunday’s match was far more unique than the score line would insinuate.

The game, which was supposed to kick-off at 11 a.m., was pushed back because of inclement weather and ended at around 5:30 p.m. under the lights.

And a roof.

After the game had to be paused in the 38th minute immediately after the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead, teams had two and a half hours to spend before the game would resume.

“We ate, we touched the ball, we stretched,” coach Erica Dambach said. “They did silly games together to stay connected. That was probably the key. They stayed connected the whole time.”

About two hours into the delay, the teams were told the match would be moved to an indoor facility because the weather forecast remained ominous.

After a bus ride to nearby Grand Parks Event Center, the Nittany Lions were tasked with overcoming a one goal deficit. They moved to a three-back system to do so.

German forward Laura Freigang began the comeback in the 70th minute with her fifth goal of the year.

The sophomore has a knack for shining under the spotlight, as all four of her tallies have come after the 70th minute of one-score games, three of which being overtime game winners.

“[Freigang]’s ability to play with this team has improved greatly,” Dambach said. “She’s proving to be a dangerous weapon at this level.”

Senior midfielder Haleigh Echard sealed victory just eight minutes later when she slotted home her second goal of the year over six hours after the match was scheduled to begin.

“Haleigh Echard, over her four years here, has been outstanding in November,” Dambach said. “It came as no surprise for us...She comes through at this time of year.”

Until Freigang’s tying goal, the Nittany Lions had been trailing Northwestern since Nia Harris put the Wildcats ahead in the 38th minute.

After combination play down the right flank, Northwestern freshman substitute midfielder Kylie Fisher took the ball toward the byline. She slid it across the slick surface to Harris, a fellow first-year Wildcat, who had peeled off of Penn State defender Ellie Jean to the right of the penalty spot.

Harris took the grounded pass on the first-time, sending it across her body and to the right of goalkeeper Rose Chandler, who was rooted to her spot.

Northwestern was still celebrating the tally, which was the first of Harris’ career, when the storm torrential arrived in Westfield, Indiana and the game had to be postponed and eventually moved.

The respite gave Penn State some time to think about the goal it had just conceded.

“We had those moments right when we got on the bus to go to the indoor facility,” Dambach said. “They were disappointed and kind of shocked a little bit. But they got in the locker room, put the music on, they got their heads right and we were off and going again.”

The weather had already left its mark on the match.

On a slippery pitch, Northwestern failed to get off any good shot opportunities during the early stages of the match, although it held more possession than Penn State.

That trend quickly reversed when the Nittany Lions settled in about midway through the first half, retaining a bit more of the ball than their purple-clad counterparts.

But Penn State, too, struggled to convert ownership of the ball into chances.

Through the first 20 minutes of action, Wildcat defenders had already blocked four shots in front of Lauren Clem’s goal, and Nittany Lion attackers sent multiple attempts wide. Clem, who had 10 clean sheets coming into Sunday, wasn’t challenged until the 24th minute.

“The tactics weren’t considerably different [once the game moved inside],” Dambach said. “We were pressing them high, and continued to do that when we came inside.”

One of Penn State’s best chances of the first half came when Alina Ortega Jurado played a ball wide to an overlapping Ellie Jean.

The rightback went on to beat a Northwestern defender and attempt to slip a ball into the middle from the end line, but it was cleared out for a corner which the Wildcats dealt with.

Players on both teams had difficulty staying upright on the soggy grass, and some Nittany Lions looked like they traded in their white kits for brown ones.

After the delay, the teams retook the field, this time to a dry turf. The Nittany Lions were searching for a pair of goals.

The marathon victory caps a Big Ten Tournament during which the Nittany Lions faced and beat two teams they had failed to defeat during the regular season in Rutgers and Ohio State.

The title is the program’s first since 2015, the year Penn State brought home its first NCAA Tournament crown, and Dambach’s third.

With the win on Sunday, the Nittany Lions punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the eleventh straight year.

“This group is incredibly resilient,” Dambach said. “I think that the ups and downs of the season has allowed us to get stronger.

“I think this team’s ready for the NCAA tournament.”