Oct. 25, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team (12-5, 3-2) snapped its two-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Bucknell Bison on Tuesday night about an hour away in Lewisburg. Penn State improves to 12-5 heading into its season finale with Michigan State on Sunday.
"This was a really competitive game," said head coach Charlene Morett. "Bucknell is a competitive team and really put forward a good fight tonight. I thought the kids off the bench did a really nice job for us."
Sophomore Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.), redshirt junior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) and freshman Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) each scored goals for the Nittany Lions. Junior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) also earned an assist, while redshirt junior Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) made two saves and allowed no goals.
Penn State was the first team to apply pressure, as Gebhart recorded the first shot 2:31 in, where Bucknell keeper Erica Perrine made the save. The Bison would respond shortly after when Tayler Siegrist fired a shot that was stopped by Halus to keep the game tied up at zero. Bucknell would keep the ball down in Penn State's defensive end, and Mallory Smith attempted a shot that went just wide.
Gebhart continued to keep the Bison on their toes, as she had another shot saved by Perrine at the 10:13 mark. But the Nittany Lions kept the pressure up and finally capitalized three minutes later. Reddig scored her third goal of the season and Amy earned an assist to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.
Penn State continued to attack the goal in the first half, but Perrine was phenomenal, making seven saves in the first stanza to keep the game in reach. Bucknell itself also had scoring chances, as it earned four penalty corner opportunities in the first 35 minutes.
The early stages of second half was a bit of the same story, as the Nittany Lions recorded five shots within the first 10 minutes and were held scoreless on all attempts. Penn State would connect though eventually at the 51:45 mark. Sophomore Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) fired a shot that was blocked. However, Allison kept the ball in Penn State's offensive end of the field and scored to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Just 10 minutes later, the Lions would increase their lead to 3-0, when Gebhart dribbled through the circle and the defense to deservingly score her fifth goal of the season.
The Bison would add a late goal to cut the lead to 3-1 as Rachel Misko netted her fourth goal of the season with under five minutes to play.
Penn State will close out the regular season at home against Michigan State this Sunday. That game will be broadcasted for tape delay on the Big Ten Network.
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 Penn State Field Hockey updates throughout the 2011 season.
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