Nov. 1, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey program traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich. to wrap up its regular season schedule on Friday. Despite a late comeback charge to send the match into overtime, the Blue and White could not escape Michigan with the victory and fell for the first time in Big Ten play by a final of 2-1.
The Nittany Lions trailed for almost the entire match by a score of 1-0 until PSU's Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.) scored the equalizer just three minutes before the end of regulation to knot the contest at 1-1 and keep the hopes of the perfect Big Ten season alive. However the goal was not enough as the Wolverines scored eight minutes into the extra frame to win 2-1.
Even with the loss Penn State still captures a share of the Big Ten title, marking the seventh in program history. The Nittany Lions will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 1 seed and has a first round bye. It is yet to be determined who the Blue and White will face in the semifinals.
The hosts struck first in the match, as Michelle Roberts collected the ball off a scrum in front of the goal and placed the ball into the cage in the seventh minute to put the Wolverines on top early 1-0.
Three minutes later Brittany Grzywacz (Collegeville, Pa.) unleashed back-to-back strikes in the matter of seconds but could not beat Haley Jones, the Michigan keeper, and the Nittany Lions still trailed 1-0.
Michigan nearly doubled its lead in the 26th and 27th minutes, firing four shots and forcing Penn State goalkeeper Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) into two saves to keep the Blue and White deficit to just one goal.
Neither side scored the remainder of the first frame and Penn State trailed at the half for the first time all season in Big Ten action. PSU had three penalty corner opportunities while holding the Wolverines to zero but could not convert the chances. Michigan outshot the Nittany Lions 7-4 after the first 35 minutes of play.
The offensive struggles continued to haunt the Lions in the second half, as the team just could not unlock the Michigan defense. Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) and Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) both had scoring opportunities turned away by the Wolverine keeper to keep the Blue and White off the scoreboard.
With just minutes remaining, Purvis unleashed a shot from the right side of the circle and into the back of the cage to give the Lions new life and tie the match at 1-1. The goal was Purvis's fifth of the season.
The late Nittany Lion score was enough to send the match to overtime for the third time this season for PSU. Unfortunately for the Blue and White, Michigan's Rachael Mack redirected a Lauren Hauge shot into the cage, resulting in the game-winning goal. The goal came in the 78th minute and was the only shot posted by either team in the overtime period.
The loss is the lone Big Ten blemish on the season, as the Nittany Lions finish the Big Ten regular season with a 5-1 record, the same record as the team ended 2012 with. The defeat also snapped Penn State's 12-match winning streak, which was the fourth longest in program history.
Friday's action represents the last match of the regular season for Penn State. The Nittany Lions begin postseason action with the Big Ten Tournament next week. The Blue and White enters as the No. 1 seed and has earned a bye. The team will play the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup on Friday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The match will be broadcast live on BTN.
MATCH NOTES: The Lions have claimed their seventh Big Ten Title ... The team has now won back-to-back Big Ten championships twice in program history, the other time occurred in 1997-98 ... The Blue and White will be the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament for the sixth time in program history ... Penn State is now 1-2 in overtime matches this season ... The win/loss moves Penn State's record to 25-16 against Michigan in the all-time series ... Penn State finishes 5-1 in conference play ... The loss ends Penn State's winning streak at 12 consecutive matches, the longest active streak in the country coming into Friday ... The 12-match win streak is the fourth longest in program history ... Penn State is now 4-2 on Fridays.