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Shaun Banta scored a goal and assisted on the game-tying goal in Penn State's comeback win over North Carolina.
COLLEGE PARK, Md.; November 11, 2006 ?C Heading into Saturday??s first round game of the NCAA Tournament, the Penn State field hockey team was ranked fifth in the nation in goals against average at 1.04 while its opponent North Carolina was at 1.17, having allowed just four more goals on the season (25) than Penn State (21). All of those outstanding defensive numbers were irrelevant once the game started, however.
North Carolina jumped out to a 3-1 lead early in the second half before Penn State scored three unanswered goals in the second half to complete its rally back from two goals down as the Nittany Lions defeated the Tar Heels 4-3 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament played at the University of Maryland. The win is Penn State??s first in the NCAA Tournament since the 2003 season when the Nittany Lions topped Princeton in the first round, also in College Park. It is also Penn State??s first win in six tries over North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament and the second over the Tar Heels for the Nittany Lions this year, as PSU also topped UNC 2-1 back on October 13 in University Park.
Shaun Banta (Gibbsboro, N.J.) and Britney Long (Lancaster, Pa.) each had a goal and an assist to lead the Nittany Lions while Mallory Weisen (Middleburg, Pa.) and Natalie Blasco (Marysville, Pa.) scored the other two Penn State goals. Penn State improves to 16-5 on the year and advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where it will face Maryland tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. The Terrapins topped Richmond 4-0 in the first game of the day.
The Tar Heels struck first at the 11:17 mark when Alli Tanner redirected a shot by Britt van Beek into the cage for the first goal of the game. From just in front of the cage, Tanner got her stick on van Beek??s shot that came off a penalty corner and deflected it high into the net to give UNC the 1-0 lead.
The Nittany Lions had two good scoring chances in the first half before scoring its first goal, both coming off penalty corners. Weisen??s shot off the first one went just wide to the left and her second shot was right on but saved by UNC keeper Brianna O??Donnell.
Britney Long scored the game-tying goal and assisted on Natalie Blasco's game-winner in Penn State's 4-3 win over North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. |
On Penn State??s third penalty corner, Weisen??s shot was once again kicked away by O??Donnell but after the initial save, the Tar Heels committed an intentional foul inside the circle, as a field player had a sure goal off a second Penn State shot off the rebound go off her foot to prevent the goal, which led to a penalty stroke being awarded to the Nittany Lions at 21:22. Weisen remained perfect in her career on penalty strokes as she beat O??Donnell high to tie the game 1-1. It was her third converted stroke of the year and the sixth of her career in as many attempts.
North Carolina then made it 2-1 just before halftime at the 32:11 mark when Danielle Forword received a pass in the circle just to the left of the goal and then dribbled a few times with her back to the cage before she turned around and unleashed a shot that just got past an oncoming Penn State keeper Jen Beaumont (Chalfont, Pa.).
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Tar Heels extended their lead to 3-1 on another redirected shot just in front of the goal. Karen Mann redirected a shot that was going wide right by Jesse Gey into the cage to make it 3-1. That shot, however, would be just one of two shots that the Tar Heels had in the second half after they had unleashed seven in the first half.
Penn State then cut the lead to 3-2 just 2:40 later as it capitalized on another penalty corner opportunity. After the ball was passed twice following the corner being taken, Kiersten Wood (Lititz, Pa.) sent in a ball just in front of the cage to Banta. O??Donnell attempted to come out an intercept Wood??s entry pass but the ball was just out of her reach and Banta was able to flick the ball over the sprawled out O??Donnell for her team-leading 15th goal of the year.
The Nittany Lions then continued to turn up their offensive pressure in the second half and that led to the game-tying goal at the 45:14 mark as Britney Long tapped in a centering pass from Banta in front of the goal. Banta had dribbled in from the right of the circle and threaded a pass to Long in front of the cage that eluded both Carolina defenders there as well as well as an oncoming O??Donnell and Long was able to redirect the ball past O??Donnell for her fourth goal of the year and her first since Penn State??s regular season 2-1 win over North Carolina back on October 13.
Long then added to her point total on the day by assisting on the go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal at the 52:18 mark by threading a centering pass of her own into the circle to Natalie Blasco. The ball initially went off a Tar Heel defender before going off Blasco and into the back of the cage to give the Nittany Lions a 4-3 lead. It was Blasco??s first goal since September 27 at Syracuse and it was her sixth goal of the year.
The Tar Heels had just one more shot in the second half following Penn State??s go-ahead goal and Beaumont made a nice save with the ball going off her facemask off a UNC penalty corner. Penn State outshot UNC 8-2 in the second half and 12-9 for the game. The Nittany Lions also had more penalty corners, 8-5, than the Heels. Beaumont made four save on the day for Penn State.
Head Coach Charlene Morett Quotes
On the comeback..
That was one of the best comebacks, if not the best, that I have ever seen in my career, especially against such a quality opponent. They did a good job of implementing our halftime adjustments. We told the team at halftime they had to fight and I think you saw a big difference in our intensity and fight in the second half. Everybody picked it up and just did a great job. Then at the end, I thought we did a nice job of keeping our poise. I??m so proud of this team. This is a great win for them.
On what this win means for her team..
It??s good for the team to have come back and get their confidence up. Maryland is going to be a good team tomorrow and we just need to rest up. We worked very hard today so we have to make sure we are rested for tomorrow.