Oct. 13, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Two goals in the first 3:27 proved to be all that the Penn State field hockey team would need as it fended off a Bucknell charge to hold on to a 2-1 win on a windy and cool Tuesday evening. Freshman Kelsey Amy and sophomore Jessica Longstreth scored the Nittany Lion goals to lead them to their third win in the last four games.
The win was Penn State's 29th in a row over the Bison. Its last loss in the head-to-head series came back on Oct. 13, 1970.
Penn State controlled play early with the first shot of the game finding the back of the cage for its quickest start of the season. In a very similar position as her overtime game-winner against Ohio State, Amy's low shot from the right side snuck past Bucknell goalkeeper Jessice Atieh for her third goal of the homestand. The goal came at 1:49, a full 2:14 earlier than the Lions' previous quickest vs. West Chester. It was also Penn State's quickest goal since Sept. 15, 2006, when Carey Maser scored 2:24 into the game against Lafayette.
A sensational individual effort from Longstreth made it 2-0 only 1:38 later. After making a move at the top of the circle, her shot rifled past Atieh for her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
After calling a timeout, Bucknell regrouped and hung tough the rest of the way. Just seconds after entering the game, Kelly Bruvick cut Penn State's lead in half when she came in strong from the right side. Her subsequent low shot got past Nittany Lions' goalkeeper Ali Meves to make it 2-1 at 23:18.
Both teams had a number of quality chances the rest of the way, but Atieh and Meves made the stops. The best opportunity came via a penalty stroke, already Penn State's fourth of the season, with 20:20 remaining in the second half. Atieh came up with a sensational save though, moving to her right to deny Longstreth her second-career two-goal game.
Final shots were 19-7 in favor of Penn State while Meves had four saves opposite Atieh, who had six. The Nittany Lions had eight penalty corners and Bucknell had three.
The Nittany Lions hit the road for three straight away from home, starting with Sunday at Iowa, a game that will be tape-delayed on the Big Ten Network. Check back to GoPSUsports.com in the coming days for a complete preview of the showdown with the Hawkeyes.
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