Nov. 10, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team will be making its 27th appearance in the NCAA Tournament this weekend as the Nittany Lions earned an automatic bid after winning the Big Ten Tournament. Penn State will take on the Northeastern Huskies on Saturday at 2 p.m. on the UConn campus.
With a win on Saturday, Penn State would play the winner of Princeton and UConn at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the second round of the tournament.
For the first time since 1998, Penn State was crowned Big Ten Tournament champions, after defeating the Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, 3-2, in the tournament championship game. With the score tied up at two, redshirt senior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) netted the game-winning goal in the second half to seal the victory. Penn State won its fifth-ever Big Ten Tournament title. The Nittany Lions' previous title came on November 8, 1998, in a 3-1 victory over Michigan.
Northeastern enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 14-7, making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid. The Huskies' 14 wins this season are their most since 2005. After finishing second in the CAA regular season standings. Northeastern finished No. 16 in the final NFHCA Poll. The Huskies however did finish with an RPI of 10. Crystal Poland is the biggest offensive threat, scoring 27 goals this season, which ranks first in the country.
Penn State is 3-1 all-time in matchups with Northeastern, last playing them in 2006. Penn State won that last contest back in 2006 by a score of 5-1.
The Lions have a long and successful history in the NCAA Tournament dating back to 1982. After capturing back-to-back AIAW National Championships in 1980 and 1981, Penn State continued to succeed in the new national playoff system. PSU has advanced to the Final Four eight times and appeared in the national championship game on two occasions, including 2007.
In recent history, Penn State has now advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times since 2000, including six of the previous seven years.
The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with UConn, 16-15-4, but look to snap a five -game losing skid. The past four games have been one-goal losses, including slim 2-1 losses in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Penn State's last win against the Huskies came back in 2006.
Penn State holds a commanding 23-7 all-time record against Princeton. In the most recent matchup between the two squads this year, Princeton squeaked out a 4-3 win in New Jersey. Penn State's last victory came last year in a hard fought 1-0 victory over Tigers on the University Park campus.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued Penn State Field Hockey updates throughout the 2011 season.
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