Sept. 27, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 6 Penn State field hockey team will travel to No. 10 Northwestern on Friday, Sept. 28, for a 3 p.m. Big Ten contest. The Nittany Lions will play their third consecutive conference match in hopes of going 3-0 in Big Ten play. The squad currently sits at 10-2 overall and leads the conference with a 2-0 record.
"I think we're excited about moving forward," said head coach Charlene Morett. "This past weekend, the way that (the team) rose to the challenge with two Big Ten teams was very impressive to me. And I really felt that they protected their home turf."
The Lions dominated the Big Ten opener against Indiana, downing the Hoosiers 7-1. The squad followed up with a 4-3 victory over Michigan to come away with its seventh consecutive win. Junior Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) had a tremendous weekend, recording both game-winning goals against the Big Ten foes. The Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week came away with six points on three goals to bring her season total to 16. Klingler is currently amidst a five-game point streak.
Senior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) remains to be a driving force on Penn State's offense, recording nine points against the Hoosiers and the Wolverines. The forward notched three goals and three assists to move to 36 points on the season. Amy leads the team in points, as well as in goals with 15. Sophomore Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) recorded a career high of three assists against Indiana, as well as a goal, to move to 18 points. It was the second time the sophomore has recorded five points in a single game.
Junior Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.), junior Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.) and fifth-year senior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) each tallied a goal against the Hoosiers, while sophomore Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) scored off of a stellar backhand shot against the Wolverines. Grzywacz's goal was her eighth of the season and Allison recorded an assist against Michigan to extend her five-game point streak. Chrismer and Purvis each sit at seven points with three goals and an assist.
Recording nine saves in the Michigan contest, goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) continues to defend the net for Penn State. Boasting a .754 save percentage and 49 saves, she has allowed only 16 goals in 741 minutes of play. Halus currently sits at 15th in the nation with a 1.51 GAA.
No. 10 Northwestern returns home after going 1-1 against Ohio State University and Ohio University this past weekend. The Wildcats dropped a surprising 3-2 loss to the Buckeyes, then rebounded with a 2-1 victory over the Bobcats. Currently 9-2 overall with a 0-1 mark in the Big Ten, the Wildcats were on a seven-game win streak before falling to Ohio State in their first conference match of the season.
Chelsea Armstrong, a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, currently leads the squad with 36 points on 16 goals and four assists. The senior, who has been named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, tallied both goals against the Buckeyes and notched her 16th of the season against the Bobcats. In the Ohio State contest, Julia Retzky and Lisa McCarthy each assisted on both of Armstrong's goals, while Tara Puffenberger tallied the assist against Ohio.
Puffenberger currently sits at 25 points behind Armstrong, netting 10 goals and recording five assists this season. McCarthy leads the team with eight assists, and recently earned Big Ten honors as Freshman of the Week. Caroline Troncelleti, who has also earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, netted the game-winner against the Bobcats to move to 12 points. Backstopping the Wildcats is Maddy Carpenter, who boasts a 7-2 record with two shutouts. Carpenter currently owns a .721 save percentage with a 1.64 GAA.
Penn State leads Northwestern in the all-time series, holding a 26-4-1 advantage. Last season, the Nittany Lions faced the Wildcats twice, first earning a 4-3 victory at home on Oct. 1. The two squads met again in the Big Ten Tournament, with Penn State recording a 6-1 win on Nov. 3 to move into the semifinals and eventually claim the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
With Coach Morett recently recording her 400th Penn State victory, the Lions look advance on that momentum and record their 27th win in 32 meetings against the Wildcats. The game will be aired by the Big Ten Network and also available via .
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