Oct. 11, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 8 Penn State hosted its annual Power of Pink Day, playing Big Ten foe Ohio State while donning special pink jerseys. The Lions put on an offensive clinic in the match, winning by a final of 6-1. The win increases Penn State's current winning streak to eight matches.
The Penn State goals came from a multitude of players on the afternoon, with a season-high five different athletes scoring for the Lions. Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.) scored off two penalty corner pieces and Amanda Dinunzio (State College, Pa.), Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.), Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) and Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.) each added a goal.
The Nittany Lions got out of the blocks exceptionally quick, constantly bombarding the Ohio State cage and suffocating the visitor's midfield with high defensive pressure.
Around four minutes into the match, the Blue and White got on the scoreboard. Grzywacz laced a shot off a penalty corner, forcing a save. Purvis then collected the rebound and ripped a shot into the net to put PSU on top early by a score of 1-0.
A little over 15 minutes after the Purvis goal, the floodgates broke wide open for Penn State's offense. Chrismer managed to control the ball after a scrum in the circle and then passed to Dinunzio, who squeezed a shot near-post by the keeper to double the Lions' lead, making the score 2-0. The goal is the junior's second goal in as many games.
Less than one minute later, the Blue and White struck again. Grzywacz collected the ball off a penalty corner and launched it through the Buckeye defense and into the cage to give Penn State its third goal of the half in the 21st minute.
Herold, who entered the game tied for the team lead in goals on the season, got in on the scoring frenzy in the 23rd minute. On a penalty corner, the forward stopped the insert pass from Whitney Reddig (Lititz, Pa.) and stepped in and belted a strike into the cage to give the Nittany Lions their fourth goal in under 23 minutes of play. The four goals are the most the team has scored in any first half this season.
Penn State took its four goal lead into the halftime break and the statistics displayed how dominant the home side was in the first 35 minutes. The Blue and White fired 12 shots and attempted eight penalty corners compared to OSU's two shots and one penalty corner opportunity.
Like the opening frame, PSU wasted little time in adding to its lead in the second stanza. Herold made a great run with the ball along the endline and then found Chrismer, who slid a shot past the keeper to move the score to 5-0 in the 41st minute. The goal marks the junior's fourth of the season.
With Penn State comfortably ahead, Ohio State managed to get a score back with a little over 11 minutes left in the match. The Buckeye's Peanut Johnson gained control of a loose ball and fired it past an outstretched Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) to put the visitors on the board. The goal is the first Licata has allowed in Big Ten play this season and only the second in the past six matches.
After the OSU goal, Penn State finished the match on a positive note. Grzywacz one-timed a shot off the Nittany Lions' 12th penalty corner chance of the match to seal the Lions' 6-1 win. The goal gives the senior a team-high nine on the season and her first multi-goal performance in 2013.
With the win, the Nittany Lions remain on top of the Big Ten standings with a record of 3-0. The victory improves the team's season mark to 9-3. The Lions turnaround and travel to Bucknell on Sunday in a match that is slated to start at 1 p.m. After the meeting with the Bison, the Nittany Lions return home to host the Spartans from Michigan State in their last home match of the season. The contest will be played on Saturday, October 19 at noon.
MATCH NOTES: The win moves Penn State's record to 34-10-2 against Ohio State in the all-time series ... The Nittany Lions now have an 18-4 record against the Buckeyes at home ... The win pushes Penn State's winning streak to eight consecutive matches ... PSU is now 3-1 on Friday's this season ... The Lions have started 3-0 in Big Ten play twice in the last three seasons ... Penn State's six goals are the most scored all season ... The five goal margin of victory matches the largest of the year for Penn State, with the other coming in a win over Delaware ... Grzywacz's multi-goal performance is the second of the season for the team, the first came from Herold vs. Delaware ... Ohio State's goal was the first PSU allowed in Big Ten play this season ... Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and Reddig each picked up two assists in the match, Gebhart's 11 lead the Big Ten.