Sept. 21, 2008
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Amy Bonenberger scored a game-winning goal, and the No. 13 Penn State defense held upset-minded West Chester shot-less in the second half to ensure a 3-2 victory Sunday in non-conference field hockey action.
Coming out of half-time at a 2-2 tie, Bonenberger (Palmyra, Pa.) tallied the go-ahead point 52 seconds into the contest. Bonenberger added an assist in the first half to give her three points for the afternoon.
Despite the close margin on the scoreboard, head coach Charlene Morett's squad out-shot the Golden Rams 26-4. It held a 17-3 advantage in penalty corners.
West Chester scored against the Nittany Lions for the first time in 11 years. The Golden Rams, which atypically play at the Division I rank in field hockey and are a regular staple on Penn State's schedule, wasted no time in this as Brittany Cislak put her team ahead by one at the 8:23 mark.
The Golden Rams held the lead only temporarily as Daneen Zug (Manheim, Pa.) evened it up off of a penalty corner goal assisted by Brooke Hoffsmith (Annville, Pa.) 79 seconds later. Three minutes later, Bonenberger piloted a 15-yard pass to Jessica Longstreth (Richboro, Pa.), who deked her way past goalkeeper Joelle Zarefoss and tapped it into an empty net for an early one-goal advantage.
The victory gives Penn State its 21st consecutive victory over the Golden Rams. West Chester has not defeated the Nittany Lions since it defeated its cross-state foe 2-0 in triple overtime in the 1987 NCAA tournament. Today's affair was the first time in 22 games that the Golden Rams put two or more goals in the back of Penn State's cage.
Penn State gave up its lead when Alyssa Gallen's stick caught the end of a Jen Beaumont (Chalfont, Pa.) kick save at the 23-minute mark. Beaumont made two saves for her fourth victory of the season.
Longstreth nearly added a second goal in the game when she again maneuvered her way around Zarefoss and shot at an open net. Desiree Walker thwarted it for a defensive save when she laid her stick in front of the goal line and swiped it away. West Chester recorded three defensive saves for the game.
Penn State hosts No. 15 Princeton Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the Field Hockey Field.