Sept. 4, 2009
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 11 Penn State field hockey team bounced back from a tough first half by scoring three unanswered goals in the second for a 3-1 win over intrastate rival Lock Haven in the home opener on Friday evening. Redshirt freshman Hannah Allison led the charge with two goals and an assist while junior goalkeeper Ali Meves was strong once again with eight saves.
"It was a very good win," said head coach Charlene Morett. "It feels good to get some shots and see our offense get going because that was the one thing we didn't have last weekend. The attack picked us up in the second half."
The win marks Penn State's 30th consecutive victory over an in-state foe. The Lions defeated Lock Haven by an identical 3-1 score last season.
Allison's five points are the most by a Nittany Lion since last Oct. 19, when Allison Scola had five in a 4-0 win at Northwestern. That was the only five-point performance by any Penn State player last season.
Lock Haven started the game with a flurry, controlling the early minutes which led to a 1-0 lead at the 19:22 mark. It was Kristi Sheepps who finished Lock Haven't sixth shot in the span of 1:39, after corralling a rebound in front of the cage. Prior to the goal, Meves had made three spectacular saves prior to keep the game scoreless.
Penn State controlled the second half and the Lions were awarded a rare penalty stroke only 5:41 into the stanza. The shot by sophomore Jessica Longstreth looked to be beating Lock Haven goalie Erin Terreson high, but she made a huge stop.
The Nittany Lions continued the pressure and turned it into a goal only 32 seconds later. Allison took the pass from freshman Kelsey Amy and made a move in front for her first goal of the day to tie the score at one.
Allison netted her second at 56:15 to break the deadlock and give Penn State its first lead. This time, it was off a penalty corner and started with redshirt senior Christine Dudek making the feed to senior Amy Bonenberger. She made the stop and set up Allison for a hard shot that beat Terreson inside the left post.
Junior Daneen Zug added insurance at 60:12 when her laser also slipped inside the left post. Allison, who made the feed, was credited with her fifth point of the afternoon.
After being outshot 10-6 in the first half, the Lions bounced back with a 13-6 second half advantage. Final shots stood at 19-16 in favor of Penn State while the Lions had 10 penalty corners to Lock Haven's four. Meves had her second straight stellar game with eight stops while Terreson had 12 for the Lady Eagles.
Penn State returns home this Sunday for a 12 p.m. clash with No. 5 Connecticut at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Admission is FREE for all!
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