Oct. 1, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team won its 27th consecutive game over an in-state opponent as the Nittany Lions cruised to a 3-0 victory over Lafayette Wednesday at the Field Hockey Field.
Penn State out-shot the Leopards, 21-3, and used the nation's second-best penalty-corner earning offense to pave the way to a 12-3 advantage in that category.
The Nittany Lions pioneered the scoring less than three minutes into the contest when Bethany Marvel earned her third game-winning goal of the season. Brooke Hoffsmith (Annville, Pa.) fed it to Marvel inside the circle and faked to her left before backhanding a shot from 14 yards out that made its way to the back of the net.
Lafayette's best opportunity transpired seven minutes in when Lindsay Majno made an interception and found herself in a 3-on-1 breakaway. Before Majno could get into the circle, Jen Long (Doylestown, Pa.) stifled it and cleared it away from goal.
At the 15:14 mark, Jessica Longstreth (Richboro, Pa.) added her team-leading 11th point of the season when she gave her team a 2-0 cushion. The play developed when Allison Scola (Hummelstown, Pa.) came around the left corner near goal and passed it to Hoffsmith, who fired a one-timer that bounced to the left of goalkeeper Kelsey Anderson. Longstreth, waiting near the right post, tapped it in for her fourth goal of the season.
The Nittany Lions added their third goal of the contest just before the end of the first half when Christine Dudek (Harleysville, Pa.) hammered a ball that jounced in front of Anderson and the rest of the Leopard defenders.
With only a minute remaining in the first half, Anderson kept her team from allowing a fourth goal by the Nittany Lions when Daneen Zug (Manheim, Pa.) sent three shots on goal Anderson's way in 30 seconds.
Jen Beaumont (Chalfont, Pa.) and Ali Meves (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) combined for a shut out for the second time this season. It is the fifth time Penn State has shut out an opponent in 2008.
Penn State played its typical second-half defense, shutting out opponents for the eighth time in the latter frame. The Nittany Lions allow 0.3 goals per second half of the season.
Scola nearly scored twice in the second half but was denied both times by Anderson, who made a glove save and a stick save on a shot that went over her head.
Lafayette was the last Keystone State team to upend Penn State in 2003 when the Leopards won, 2-1, in overtime.
Penn State travels to Lock Haven Sunday at 1 p.m. Its next home game is Friday, Oct. 10 against Iowa at 3 p.m. That game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.