Oct. 5, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 7 Penn State field hockey team will return home after a week-long break to host California on Sunday, Oct. 7, for an 11 a.m. matchup. The contest marks the annual Pink Zone game, where the Nittany Lions will honor breast cancer survivors and raise funds to help fight against the disease. The game will be available via .
"Breast cancer has touched everyone, whether it be a relative or a friend," said head coach Charlene Morett. "In our case, it has obviously been teammates and coaches. So, it's really special for us to recognize and take part in breast cancer awareness, especially being a part of the Pink Zone. Coquese (Washington) has done a great job promoting it and we want offer our support, as well, from a field hockey standpoint."
As October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Pink Zone contest will have t-shirts for sale at the front table to support the cause. Also, a sleeve of pink tickets will be offered for purchase for the chance to take part in the halftime contest with the Lady Lions basketball team. Participants have the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the Feb. 24 game against Michigan and an official Pink Zone shirt.
Last time out, the Lions (10-3, 2-1) fell to then No. 10 Northwestern in a 5-4 overtime loss. Despite holding the lead for the majority of the contest, the Wildcats scored 12 seconds into the extra frame to earn the Big Ten win. Fifth-year senior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) had a three-point game, tallying an assist and Penn State's final goal. The co-captain is amidst a six-game point streak and currently sits at 16 points on the season.
Junior Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) kept her point-streak alive, as well, scoring a goal off of a penalty corner. Sophomore Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and junior Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.) found the back of the cage for the Lions, while sophomore Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) tallied an assist and junior Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.) recorded two. Reddig and Gebhart have each recorded 10 assists this season. Goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) extended her season-total of saves to 50 after facing the Wildcats, and currently holds a 1.81 GAA with a .704 save percentage.
Currently, 11 Lions have scored this season, while 13 have recorded at least one point. Senior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) leads the squad with 36 points after 15 goals and six assists. Six Penn Staters have tallied over 10 points, including Amy, Gebhart (20), Grzywacz (19), Klingler (18), Allison (16) and Reddig (14).
The Golden Bears (3-6, 0-2) are coming off of two conference losses in the North Pacific West. After falling 2-1 to Stanford and 3-1 to UC Davis, California will take on Robert Morris at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5, in University Park, before facing the Lions on Sunday. Jordan Reilly tallied the lone goal against Stanford, moving her season point total to eight points on four goals. The junior was named the NorPac Offensive Player of the Week earlier in the season. Scoring in the UC Davis contest, Caroline Struijk tallied her third goal of the season with an assist from leading point scorer Lara Kruggel. Kruggel currently sits at 17 points with eight goals and one assist.
Splitting time in net this season, sophomore Courtney Hendrickson has played the last four contests for the Golden Bears, while freshman Joelle van Hoorn opened the first five games of the year. Hendrickson holds a 1.82 GAA and a .692 save percentage with a 1-3 record. Van Hoorn currently sits at a 2-3 record with a 1.17 GAA and a .760 save percentage.
This is the fourth all-time meeting between Penn State and California, with the Lions leading the series 3-0. In 2003, the Lions defeated the Golden Bears 3-1 on Sept. 28 in University Park.
After facing California, Penn State will have four contests remaining in the regular season. The Lions will face No. 11 Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 14, at noon for Senior Day. The squad will then travel to No. 16 Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 19, before returning to Happy Valley to host Bucknell on Tuesday, Oct. 23, for the final home game of the season. The Lions will conclude the season on Saturday, Oct. 27, at No. 20 Michigan State.
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