Oct. 13, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions extended its winning streak to nine matches on Sunday afternoon, winning a hard-fought 2-0 battle over Bucknell on the road. With the victory, Penn State improved its record to 10-3 on the season.
The Nittany Lions did all of its damage in the opening 35 minutes. Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) and Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.) each scored as a result of penalty corner shots from Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.).
Penn State got off to a rather slow start in the opening minutes, not recording a shot in the first eight minutes. The PSU defense turned away two Bucknell shots off the first penalty corner of the match to keep the game scoreless.
The Nittany Lions earned their first penalty corner of the match in the 10th minute and immediately capitalized on the opportunity. Chrismer redirected a Grzywacz shot past the Bison keeper to put PSU on top 1-0. The goal was the junior's fourth of the season and Grzywacz notched her first assist of the season.
Just seven minutes after the opening goal, the Blue and White struck again. Grzywacz unleashed a strike, forcing the Bison keeper to go to ground to make the save. Purvis immediately collected the rebound and shot the ball into the cage to double Penn State's lead at 2-0. The goal marked Purvis's fourth goal of the season.
The Nittany Lions had a few more golden scoring opportunities in the half firing a number of shots on goal that were narrowly cleared off the line.
PSU took the 2-0 lead into the halftime break. The Lions outshot Bucknell 10-5 in the first frame and attempted six penalty corners while holding the hosts to just two.
The second stanza was filled with whistles and rugged defense from both sides, as neither Penn State nor Bucknell could find any type of rhythm. The Lions had a clear scoring opportunity in the 62nd minute when Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) and Chrismer both fired shots that were saved by the Bison keeper.
With just over five minutes to play, Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) kept her shutout intact, making a great reflex save off a deflected Bucknell shot to ensure the Penn State 2-0 victory. The shutout was the sixth of the season for Licata, which leads the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions return home to host the Spartans from Michigan State in their last home match of the season for senior day. The contest will be played on Saturday, October 19 at noon.
MATCH NOTES: The win moves Penn State's record to 36-2-2 against Bucknell in the all-time series ... The win pushes Penn State's winning streak to nine consecutive matches ... PSU is now 3-2 on when playing on Sunday's this season ... The Nittany Lions are 6-1 on the road this season ... Penn State has a record of 8-0 in matches when leading after the opening 35 minutes ... Licata now has six shutouts on the season, the most in the Big Ten ... Grzywacz picked up her first two assists of the season and leads the team with 20 points.