Sept. 27, 2009
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Penn State field hockey team opened the Big Ten season by playing neck-and-neck with Michigan on Sunday, but two goals from Meredith Way proved to be the difference in a 2-0 defeat. The goals came in the span of 1:44 early in the second half to break a scoreless deadlock.
The Nittany Lions held the 16-11 shot advantage, but were unable to solve Michigan goalie Pagie Pickett. She finished with eight saves while Ali Meves had four in her second-consecutive start.
After a highly competitive first half which saw shots at 9-6 in favor of Penn State, Michigan came out of halftime strong with two goals in the first 4:25 for what proved to be the difference.
Way's first tally came off a penalty corner at 37:41 with Katie Adams making the feed, Paige Laytos making the stop to set up Way, who fired the ball into the right side of the cage.
Only 1:44 later, Way scored her second of the game off a broken penalty corner attempt for a much-needed insurance goal. She carried right off a stick stop before beating Meves for a second time.
Freshman Kelsey Amy led the Lions with a career-high five shots while senior Bethany Marvel had three. Three others (Hannah Allison, Amy Bonenberger and Daneen Zug) had two shots apiece. Michigan led the battle of penalty corners, 7-6.
The Nittany Lions return home on Friday for the start of a four-game homestand. They face rival Ohio State at 4 p.m. in a contest that will be nationally televised via tape delay on the Big Ten Network. It is also "Code Blue" with the first 100 students receiving a FREE Code Blue T-Shirt.
"Friday is another opportunity to make a mark in the Big Ten," said head coach Charlene Morett. "We'll be excited about playing at home in the first Big Ten home game. The fans will see exciting Big Ten hockey."
Check back to GoPSUsports.com throughout the week for more updates on the giveaways and promotions surrounding this huge Big Ten showdown.
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