Aug. 19, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team closed out the 2011 exhibition season on a strong note, downing the defending national champion Maryland Terrapins by a score of 3-2 on Friday morning. Freshman Jenna Chrismer (Lansdale, Pa.) scored the game-winning goal with just under two minutes left in regulation.
Penn State came out strong early, netting the first goal just over three minutes into the game. The Nittany Lions would take a 2-0 lead in the second half, but Maryland fought back and managed to tie the game at two with a little over nine minutes remaining in the game. However, Chrismer would nail her second goal of the day to give Penn State a 3-2 victory.
The Nittany Lions dominated the first half, as they outshot the Terps, 8-3. Two of the three shots were on goal for Maryland, as junior goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) saved both of them in her 35 minutes of action. The second half was a different story, as Maryland outshot Penn state 16-8. Redshirt freshman Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) stopped nine shots in a tremendous effort when she entered the game in the second half.
Penn State came out firing right away. Freshman standout Lauren Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) hit a nice backhand shot to the right side of the goal 1:08 into the game, but Maryland's Margo Savage made an excellent save to keep the Lions scoreless despite the early scare. However, Penn State would capitalize its next time down. Senior captain Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) struck a hard shot that was stopped by the goalkeeper. Senior Casey McCartin (Horsham, Pa.) gatheered the rebound and scored 3:09 into the game to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.
Penn State kept up the pressure in the first half. Junior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) had a rocket shot off a corner, but the Terps' keeper made a brilliant diving save to keep the Nittany Lions in check. Overall, Penn State had a total of five corners, while Maryland had 10.
The second half was full of action. With 30:20 remaining, Chrismer had an excellent attempt on a shot that went just wide of the goal. Maryland answered down at the other end, as Ali McEvoy fired a shot on goal that Licata made a brilliant save on. Nearly a minute after that with 26:50 remaining, Chrismer deflected a free pass attempt from Allison into the goal to give Penn State a 2-0 lead.
Maryland would keep up the pressure though, as Licata made two brilliant saves on back-to-back shots at the 22:50 mark and a nice kick save with 20:40 remaining. The Terps would finally come through in the 50th minute, as McEvoy scored to cut the Nittany Lion lead in half at 2-1. A little over 10 minutes later, Kristie Dennig tied the game up at two.
With regulation nearing the end, the Nittany Lions played in a ball from the left side down in Maryland's end. Chrismer took the ball and brought it along the end line. She hit a shot that miraculously found the back of the net to give Penn State a 3-2 lead, and eventually the win.
Penn State will take a week off before its much anticipated season opener at Old Dominion on Aug. 26. The Nittany Lions will then travel to national contender Virginia on Aug. 28. Penn State's first home game will come on Sep. 4 against UConn. That game will be a Code Blue Blast event, where students can earn points for attending the event. The top 250 point-earners by the end of the school year will receive guaranteed football ticket purchasing opportunities. The top 10 point-earners will receive free football tickets for next year.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued updates throughout the 2011 season.
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