Sept. 28, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State claimed a tough 2-1 win over Miami (Ohio) in the team's first neutral site match of the season. After a tough 1-3 start to the year, The Lions have now reeled off an impressive five consecutive wins to move to three games over .500 for the first time this season.
After trailing 1-0 early, PSU's Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) leveled the match in the 33rd minute and then Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.) scored the game-winning goal in the 49th minute off a penalty stroke to seal the Blue and White's sixth win of the season.
For the first time in the last five matches, the Nittany Lions found themselves trailing on the scoreboard. Miami's Alyssa Logan got the action started early, scoring the opening goal on the RedHawks' first shot of the contest in the fourth minute to give Miami an early 1-0 advantage. The goal snapped Kylie Licata's (Mountain Top, Pa.) streak of 158-straight minutes without allowing a goal.
The goal woke up the PSU attack, as the Nittany Lions began putting pressure on the RedHawks' cage. Grzywacz and Klingler each had shots turned away by the Miami defense in the ninth minute off the Lions' first penalty corner of the match.
After seven shots and three penalty corner chances, Penn State found the back of the net with just minutes left in the opening frame. Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) sent a cross from the right side of the circle to Klingler, who finished with a shot into the cage to knot the game at 1-1. The goal gives the senior her fifth of the season, good enough for third on the team.
The Penn State goal in the 33rd minute allowed the Blue and White to go into the halftime break level with Miami rather than trailing. After the first 35 minutes, the Nittany Lions outshot the RedHawks 8-4, while attempting three penalty corners to Miami's one.
Beginning the second half, Penn State pressured the Miami backline while the team searched for the go-ahead goal. Grzywacz, Klingler and Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) all had scoring efforts that resulted in nothing in a two minute span.
13 minutes into the final stanza of regulation, the Blue and White earned a penalty stroke, resulting in Grzywacz stepping up to the spot and scoring her sixth goal of the season to put Penn State in front by a score of 2-1. The goal ties the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week with Herold for the team lead in goals scored on the season with six.
After the Grzywacz goal, the Nittany Lion defense clamped down on the RedHawk attack and shut down Miami to deliver PSU a hard-fought 2-1 win. The Lions limited Miami to just one shot in the remaining 21 minutes, which was not on target.
Grzywacz and Klingler have now each scored in the same match on four occasions this season, with PSU winning all four contests. Grzywacz's game-winning goal was the senior's fifth of the year, which leads the team and Big Ten.
The victory pushes Penn State's record to 6-3 on the season and extends its winning streak to five-straight matches. The Lions outshot Miami by a total of 16-7, marking the eighth out of nine matches the Blue and White have recorded more shots than its opponent.
The Nittany Lions will stay the night in Bloomington and open up Big Ten play tomorrow against the Hoosiers in a match that is scheduled to start at noon. The Blue and White hold a 15-3 record against Indiana in the all-time series and has won the last four matches.