Sept. 11, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team jumped two spots to the No. 6 team in the country, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced Tuesday. The Nittany Lions, now 5-2 on the season, earned 596 points in national poll and remained in the Top 10 as the highest ranked Big Ten school for the fourth consecutive week.
p>The Lions are coming off of an undefeated weekend, topping Temple 5-1 on the road and shutting out Cornell 2-0 at home. Senior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) remains the leading point scorer for the squad, moving to 15 points after scoring two goals and recording an assist against the Owls. Junior Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.) had a three-goal weekend, scoring at Temple, as well as netting both goals against the Big Red. Grzywacz, sitting at 12 points, was awarded two penalty strokes on Sunday and is currently three-for-three on the season.
Sophomore Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and junior Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.) are tied as the third-leading point scorers with six points a piece. Each have four assists to lead the team, with Reddig tallying two against the Owls. Gebhart recorded her first goal of the season against Temple, as well.
Goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) remains consistent in net, making four saves over the weekend to move her season total to 30. The fifth-year senior currently boasts a 1.71 GAA and .714 save percentage with a 5-2 record. Halus' shutout for Cornell was her 12th in her career for the Lions.
Penn State will take on No. 16 Michigan (3-3) on Sept. 23 for their fifth nationally ranked opponent of the season. The Lions have already competed against No. 8 Old Dominion (3-2), No. 9 Virginia (5-2), No. 5 Connecticut (5-0) and most recently, No. 2 Princeton (4-0). The squad topped ODU and Virginia, but fell in close contests to UConn and Princeton.
Steadily moving up the polls, No. 10 Northwestern (6-1) will be the Lions' next highest ranked opponent. The Wildcats, originally ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll, will host Penn State on Sept. 28. Additionally, the Lions will face No. 22 California (2-3), No. 14 Iowa (3-2) and No. 19 Michigan State (3-3).
The University of North Carolina (5-1) remained the No. 1 team in the country for the second consecutive week.
Penn State hosts Lock Haven on Wednesday, Sept. 12, for the squad's fourth game in seven days. The contest will begin at 6 p.m. and the Field Hockey Complex.
Check back to GoPSUSports.com for continued updates during the 2012 season. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PennStateFH and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.com.
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