Sept. 8, 2011
PRINCETON, N.J. - Despite having a 2-0 lead early, the sixth-ranked Penn State field hockey team (2-3) lost in a tough 4-3 contest to the No. 13 Princeton Tigers on Thursday. Senior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) had two goals for the Nittany Lions.
From the very beginning, Penn State applied pressure, and it was rewarded a penalty corner 3:40 into the game. Sophomore Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.) played a ball off the corner to Amy, where she blasted the ball, which deflected off a Princeton defender and found the back of the cage. Penn State had a 1-0 lead.
Princeton immediately attempted to answer back with a penalty corner of its own down at the other end. Amanda Kirby of the Tigers fired a shot off the corner, but junior goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) made a save to maintain the lead. From there, Penn State took advantage of the penalty corner again. Amy took a ball from Reddig again and nailed it to the inside near post, past the goalie to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead with a little over 20 minutes remaining in the first half.
Other than a shot by senior Casey McCartin (Horsham, Pa.) that was blocked, things were quiet until the final nine minutes of the half. Princeton would capitalize then, when Allison Evans put the Tigers on the board. Princeton would tie it up nearly three minutes later, as Evans scored her second goal. The Nittany Lions and Tigers went into halftime tied at two.
In the second half, Penn State was the first team that would apply pressure, as freshman Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) fired two shots that were both saved by Princeton goaltender Christina Maida. The Tigers used those two saves as motivation, when nearly two minutes later in the 45th minute, Amanda Bird gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead. The scoring in bunches continued for the Tigers, as Bird netted her second-straight goal just a minute later to put the host school in front, 4-2.
Penn State would answer 10 minutes later, as senior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) scored her fourth goal of the season to trim the lead to 4-3. Allison controlled the ball inside the six, where she turned around and knocked it home. Penn State had a penalty corner opportunity with less than two minutes remaining, but it was unable to capitalize.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Sunday in a noon matchup, playing host to Quinnipiac. The first 200 fans in attendance will receive American Pride T-Shirts, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. Penn State's next road trip will come at No. 9 Duke on Sept. 17.
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 and www.twitter.com/GoPSUGreg.