Sept. 6, 2009
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - A spirited second half comeback attempt fell one goal short as the No. 11 Penn State field hockey team dropped a 2-1 final to No. 5 Connecticut in front of 694 fans at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex on Sunday. Sophomore Casey McCartin scored her first-career goal while junior goalkeeper Ali Meves made four saves in defeat.
The attendance total stands as the third largest in facility history, only trailing the 794 fans from last Sept. 1 against Maryland and 770 from Sept. 2, 2007 against these same Huskies. Three of the four largest crowds in facility history have come against Connecticut.
Like Friday, the Lions bounced back from a tough first half to put together a strong final 35 minutes. But unlike Friday, when it scored three goals for the win, Penn State was unable to pull all the way back.
"We played with much better intensity in the second half," said head coach Charlene Morett. "The players off the bench played with a good spark, but we need to play with intensity in both halves."
Connecticut controlled play early and converted it into a goal at 12:49 when Loren Sherer scored her fifth of the season. Her deflection of an Ali Blankmeyer shot found the right corner of the cage to put the Lions in an early hole.
The Huskies continued to have Penn State's number, taking a 2-0 lead at 24:07 off a beautiful feed from Sherer. Cara Silverman finished from point blank range, beating Meves inside the left post.
Penn State came out of the locker room with a vengeance to nearly tie the score. After almost 10 minutes of play, McCartin cleaned up a rebound chance off a penalty corner, beating UConn goalie Andrea Mainiero for her first-career goal to give the crowd life.
The teams played an up-and-down final 25 minutes, which included a number more offensive opportunities. The Lions dominated possession and got off a number of quality chances, but the Huskies' defense held its ground. When Penn State was able to get a shot on goal, Mainiero came up big to make some crucial saves.
One of the Nittany Lions' best chances came late in the contest when senior Bethany Marvel fired a shot that went in. It clearly came from just outside the circle, though, so it was disallowed.
Final shots were 10-8 in favor of Connecticut while Penn State controlled penalty corners with nine to only three for the Huskies. Meves made four saves for the Linos while Mainiero had five for the Huskies.
The game featured two of the four winningest coaches in Division I history. UConn's Nancy Stevens is the second winningest, with a 484-156-24 record while Penn State's Morett is fourth with a 390-148-16 mark.
Penn State hits the road for three consecutive games, starting next Saturday at No. 1 nationally ranked Maryland. It remains in College Park to face No. 14 American Sunday. After a tilt at Lafayette, the Lions return home on Sunday, Sept. 20 to face West Chester. Check back to GoPSUsports.com for game previews, recaps and more as the Lions look ahead to a crucial early-season road swing.
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