Nov. 3, 2011
Box Score // Tournament Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team (14-5, 4-2) opened the 2011 Big Ten Tournament with a 6-1 clawing of the Northwestern Wildcats on Thursday afternoon. With the victory, the Nittany Lions advance to the Big Ten Semifinals on Friday, where they will take on the No. 2 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes at noon on the Big Ten Network.
Despite Northwestern scoring the first goal, Penn State answered with six-straight to cruise to the 6-1 victory. Junior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley), sophomore Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove) and freshman Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg) each scored two goals for the Nittany Lions. Amy also notched an assist. Sophomore Whitney Reddig (Lititz) also added an assist in the victory.
"I thought it was a total team effort from our team today," said Penn State head coach Charlene Morett. "I thought we had some early jitters, but I was really pleased in the way that everyone on this team contributed today."
Northwestern presented a big scare to the Nittany Lions early. Chelsea Armstong, the Big Ten Offensive Player of they Year, scored her 25th goal of the season, which was assisted by Jaimie Orrico and Regan Mooney. The Wildcats had a 1-0 lead just 2:54 into regulation.
Things would be quiet for the next 10 minutes until Penn State would begin to apply pressure in Northwestern's defensive end. Klingler was the first player to get the Lions on the board, as she won a ball that was knocked around between a handful of players in the circle. She garnered the ball right in front of the net and knocked it home to tie the game up at one.
Penn State would take the lead about seven minutes later, as Herold knocked in her eighth goal of the season, scoring off a rebound to give the Lions a 2-1 advantage. Just one minute later, she scored her second goal of the contest on a beautiful flick that went top shelf. The Nittany Lions went into halftime up two.
Just 35 seconds into the second half, Penn State kept up the high powered attack, as Klingler netted her second goal of the game after a beautiful assisted pass from Amy. Nearly eight minutes later, Amy scored her first goal of the game on a rocket shot off a penalty corner. Penn State led 5-1 with 27 minutes to go.
Amy added insurance on her second goal of the game with 18:15 remaining in the contest, as she beat the defender one-on-one and slid the ball past the goalie.
With the victory, Penn State now turns to the Big Ten semifinals, which will air tomorrow on the Big Ten Network at noon. The Nittany Lions will be looking to avenge a 2-0 loss to the Buckeyes two weeks ago in Happy Valley. The first 100 students that show up to Friday's game will receive free admission.
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. Parking for the games on Friday will be available at the East Halls parking deck, located behind the Creamery.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued Penn State Field Hockey updates throughout the 2011 season.
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