Sept. 15, 2012
Monmouth, N.J. - The No. 6 Penn State field hockey team came away with their fifth consecutive win, topping Monmouth 7-1 at the "So Sweet a Cat" Field in New Jersey. The Nittany Lions now advance to an 8-2 record, while the Hawks fall to 0-8 on the season. Sophomore Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) recorded the first game-winning goal of her career, scoring at the 9:33 mark of the first period.
"It was a great team performance," said head coach Charlene Morett. "I give the team a lot of credit for managing the schedule with six games in 10 days. We are looking forward to preparing for an exciting Big Ten season next week."
With the score tied at 1-1 early in the contest, Chrismer responded to Monmouth's only goal within two minutes. Assisted by fifth-year senior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.), the sophomore scored on a deflection from her backhand shot. It was Chrismer's second goal of the season and Allison's second assist of the year.
Penn State got on the board first, with senior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) tallying her 11th goal of the season at the 1:14 mark in the game. With a pass from junior Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.), Amy was able to cross left and send the ball off the post behind Monmouth's Teresa Mathew.
Seemingly unaffected by the Lions' early lead, Monmouth took advantage of a penalty corner at the 7:04 mark. After Kimmy Baligian lined up to start the play, Tara Brown found the ball in front of goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.). Scoring on a deflection past the netminder, Brown tied the game at 1-1 just over seven minutes into the game.
Chrismer took the lead for Penn State moments later, pushing the squad into an offensive surge that continued throughout the remainder of the match. Klingler extended the score to 3-1 after three penalty corners and four unanswered shots. With an assist from Amy, the junior sent a shot past Mathew at the 16:08 mark to net her fourth of the season. Sophomore Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) continued the attack, notching her third of the season to put the Lions up 4-1. Moving down the field, the forward sent a shot from the left of Mathew and banked the ball off the inside post.
With less than 10 minutes to play in the half, Halus stepped up for Penn State to hold Monmouth without another goal. After a save on Chelsea Mann, the Hawks earned a penalty corner with Balagian at the helm. Alex Carroll, who had four shots during the contest, sent the ball flying at Halus, but the netminder came up with a big save to keep the score at 4-1.
Five shots and four penalty corners later, junior Brittany Grzywacz was awarded her fourth penalty stroke of the season. Grzywacz blasted a shot past Mathew at the 34:25 mark to move the score to 5-1 in favor of the Lions, netting her seventh goal of the season and maintaining her perfect record with strokes. The first half expire with Penn State outshooting Monmouth 16-6.
The second period began with an immediate goal by Amy. The senior tallied her 12th of the season after taking the ball down the field and sending it past Mathew to hit the far post. Amy, now sitting at 27 points, extended the score to 6-1. Despite another strong shot from Brown after a Monmouth penalty corner, the Lions regained possession and produced three more shots before Allison would score on the final penalty corner of the game. With her third goal in three games, the fifth-year senior extended Penn State's lead to 7-1 with an assist from junior Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.). It was Reddig's seventh assist of the season.
Penn State held Monmouth to only three shots in the second half and ended the game with a 21-9 advantage. Halus earned the win for the Lions, making five saves and only allowing one goal. Redshirt sophomore Kylie Licata entered the game at the 60:02 mark for a total of 9:58 minutes of playing time. Mathews made five saves during the contest with the Hawks producing two defensive saves, as well.
The Lions have a week-long break before returning home to the Field Hockey Complex on Friday, Sept. 21. Penn State will face Indiana at 3 p.m. to kick off the 2012 Big Ten season. The game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
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.
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