| Annelise Legel scored first vs. No. 4 North Carolina in the Lions' regular season finale. The Big Ten Champion Penn State field hockey team now turns its attention to the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. |
Box Score
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. October 30, 2005 - After 17 straight wins and a Big Ten Championship, the No. 6 Nittany Lion field hockey team's regular season run came to end with a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss at No. 4 North Carolina.
Kiertsen Wood (Lititz, Pa.) and Annelise Legel (Morgantown, Pa.) each scored in the loss. North Carolina's Rachel Dawson scored all three goals for the Tarheels. The Lions finish the regular season with a 17-2 overall record, losing only their first and last games of the season.
Penn State (17-2, 6-0) got on the board first when Legel took a pass from Bekah Hostetler (Hershey, Pa.) on the left side of the cage and slapped a goal in at the 9:20 mark. Penn State held back the North Carolina attack for the rest of the first period and left for the break up, 1-0
North Carolina came out in the second half and evened the game at one goal apiece off a penalty stroke converted by Dawson. A little over two minutes later Dawson again connected, this time off a penalty corner.
With the game winding down, Wood pushed the game into overtime with an unassisted goal at the 64:01 mark. Penn State held on for the rest of regulation, and the two teams went into the extra period knotted at two goals apiece.
North Carolina turned to Dawson again, who connected from the middle of the circle off a pass from Heather Kendell to win the game at the 72:18 mark.
It was another busy day in the cage for Penn State senior goalkeeper Megan Akstin (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) who tallied nine saves and faced 21 shots. Penn State, meanwhile, fired 10 shots in the game. The Tarheels also held a huge edge in penalty corners, attempting 17 to the Lions' six.
Wood led the team with four shots, including one on goal. Sara Cahill (Virginia Beach, Va.) tallied three shots in the contest, while Legel (2) and Carey Maser (Medford, N.J.) (1) also recorded shots.
Penn State now heads to the Big Ten Tournament where it is the No. 1 seed. The Lions will receive a bye in the first round, and play their first game on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.