Sept. 22, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team earned a 4-0 victory over the Temple Owls on Thursday evening under the lights at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. The Nittany Lions sit at 6-3 on the season, heading into Big Ten play this Sunday at Iowa.
Junior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) scored two goals for Penn State. Sophomore Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.) and freshman Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) also netted goals for the Nittany Lions. Freshman Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) added an assist for the Lions.
From the beginning, Penn State controlled the ball in its offensive end of the field and Amy had two shots, one saved and the other wide. Then with 21:44 remaining in the first half, Amy and Purvis had a two-on-one breakaway. The goalie came out and kicked the ball in Amy's direction. Amy found the wide open net and gave the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.
Nearly six minutes later, Penn State had the ball down in its offensive end. Gebhart controlled the ball on the endline and slotted a pass into the center of the circle. Purvis received the ball and had no problem finding the back of net and giving Penn State a 2-0 lead. Amy would then net her second goal of the day to give PSU a 3-0 halftime advantage.
Penn State scored its fourth goal in the second half. The Lions were rewarded a penalty corner 22:50 into the stanza. After the ball was knocked around inside the circle and got deflected off the goalie, Herold snatched the rebound and knocked it in to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead.
Penn State will turn to Big Ten action now, as it will travel to Iowa City on Sunday to take on the Hawkeyes. Iowa currently leads the Big Ten in scoring. The game can be viewed on BTN.com for any fans interested in watching the game. Following Iowa, the Nittany Lions will return home next Saturday to face Northwestern.
Penn State hosts the 2011 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament from Nov. 3-6. Tickets for the Big Ten Tournament can be purchased by contacting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office at 814-865-5555. All session passes are $18 for adults and $12 for students/senior citizens. Single session tickets will run at $8 for adults and $5 for students/senior citizens. Groups of 15 people or more may also purchase tickets at $12 for all session passes and $5 for a single session.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued updates throughout the 2011 season.
Follow Penn State field hockey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PennStateFH or www.twitter.com/GoPSUGreg.