Oct. 14, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The No. 10 Penn State field hockey team overcame two early one-goal deficits, and Amy Bonenberger scored a go-ahead goal, as the Nittany Lions defeated Bucknell, 4-2, in the battle of Route 45 Tuesday in Lewisburg, Pa.
Bonenberger (Palmyra, Pa.) and Daneen Zug (Manheim, Pa.) accumulated three points, and freshman Jessica Longstreth (Richboro, Pa.) collected her first collegiate multi-goal game as she netted two for Penn State (10-4, 2-0 Big Ten).
After being down 1-0 and 2-1, Penn State recuperated from a shaky defensive first half and held the Bison (8-5, 1-1 Patriot) to one attempt and zero shots on goal. Bonenberger gave the Nittany Lions their first lead of the intra-state contest off one of Penn State's two penalty-corner goal at the 52:39 mark. Jen Long (Doylestown, Pa.) stopped the ball just outside the circle and dished it out to Zug. Zug maneuvered a quick fake toward goal before sending a quick pass to Bonenberger in the far corner, where the junior midfielder was able to rip it past the Bison stoppers.
"We called a timeout, and Amy told me that she wasn't being covered so we decided to change up our scheme on the penalty corner," head coach Charlene Morett said. "Amy did a nice job and was strong for us offensively today."
Bonenberger was instrumental on the Nittany Lions' insurance goal. With just six minutes remaining in the contest and Bucknell pressing to even the score, Bonenberger intercepted the ball through the Bison attack. She stormed deep into the circle from the 40-yard line, eliminating opposing defenders with stick skills, and propelled a pass to the speedy Longstreth, who jabbed at the ball for the Nittany Lions' fourth score.
Penn State easily out-shot Bucknell, 14-3, and held an 8-2 advantage in penalty corners.
The Bison came out storming early, connecting on two penalty corner opportunities. Nearly ten minutes in, Morgan Kauffman gave Bucknell a quick 1-0 lead with assists from Amanda Faust and Corinne Raczek. After Longstreth created a turnover and steered it into goal for a short-lived stalemate at 14:06, Faust, Raczek and Kauffman furthered Penn State's early frustrations just three minutes later. Both goals were the only two shots on goal Bucknell got off in the 70 minutes.
"Bucknell came out strong and executed its corners," Morett said. "We had some mental lapses early on, but we were able to keep poise and stay ready in the second half."
Zug tied the game just before the first half concluded with a penalty-corner goal that was assisted by Long and Allison Scola (Hummelstown, Pa.) Scola furthered her five-game point streak and is tied with Zug for a team-high 16 points.
The Penn State field hockey program secured its 31st-straight season with double-digit wins. It has also won 29 consecutive games against Pennsylvanian opponents.
The Nittany Lions return to action Sunday when it travels to Evanston, Ill. to take on Northwestern at noon.