Oct. 16, 2014 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
By Gabrielle Richards, GoPSUsports Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- For the past four seasons, there hasn't been a game that senior captain Laura Gebhart didn't played in. She is known as the "opportunity creator" and contributes to both offense and defense for the Nittany Lions. Tuesday's game shined a light on Gebhart's skill that she has crafted here at Penn State as well as playing for the U.S. National Team.
Coming off of a tough loss on the road to new Big Ten foe Maryland, the Nittany Lions made sure to use this non-conference game against Bucknell to work on the "little things" that contributed to their 4-3 loss. The biggest issue for the Nittany Lions during their matchup against the Terrapins was their shot turnover; Penn State was awarded 12 corners and took 19 shots, but were only able to find the net three times.
"The game was a little frantic," Gebhart said. "We are going to work hard to refocus for these next few games."
Gebhart's Hat Trick Performance
When the game clock started counting down in Tuesday night's contest, the rain began falling as well. Typically, stick control and stability are two techniques that falter in these playing conditions, but not for Gebhart. Gebhart was in complete control from the sound of the first whistle. After a few touch-and-go passes, Jenna Chrismer received the ball and took off down the field; Natalie Buttinger and Gebhart trailed behind her. Chrismer found Buttinger on the endline of the Bison circle, who quickly fired off a pass to Gebhart at the top. Gebhart drove the ball into the back of the net just three minutes into the contest.
Gebhart found the back of the net six minutes later when she intercepted a Bison pass from inside the circle. Her stick handling contributed to a flawless attack as she pulled the Bucknell goalie out to the stroke mark, firing off a shot into the opposite corner, lifting the score to 2-0.
"It was a great night for Laura [Gebhart]," coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss said. "She is just so dangerous around the cage. She put herself in an attacking position tonight, which was very helpful to the team."
The senior sealed the deal on her first career hat trick when she double-teamed the goalie with fellow captain Katie Andrews. Andrews dodged the Bison defense before tipping the ball to Gebhart who directed the pass over the goalie's pads.
"Its great to see someone who plays defense attack the cage," coach Morett-Curtiss said. "When you can get numbers into their circle, it puts a lot of pressure on them. It was a great combination between two captains."
A Corner-less First Half
Penn State is known for their speed of play and their ability to force corner play. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they were unable to draw a corner in the first half. However, they also didn't give up a corner in the first half, which speaks to the hard work put in by both team's defenses. Penn State keeper Kylie Licata saved six shots in the contest, five of which coming in the second half.
In the second half, the corner tally evened out, as both teams were awarded two. While the Bison fell short on their pair of scoring opportunities, the Nittany Lions were able to convert one. Taylor Herold scored off her infamous drive from the top of the circle, lifting the final score to 4-1.
"I felt like we weren't aggressive enough on our press," coach Morett-Curtiss said. "When we are aggressive on the press we are able to force corners and create counter attacks. We weren't really diligent about drawing the corner [tonight]."
All Roads Lead To The Big Ten
The Nittany Lions have four games left in their regular season schedule and all four are conference games. Penn State will take on Rutgers and Indiana this Friday and Sunday before traveling to Iowa on Oct. 25. Their last game of the regular season schedule will be against Northwestern, who is undefeated in the Big Ten.
"Its crazy to think that this was my last non-conference game," Gebhart said. "We are ready to continue to put in the work for our Big Ten schedule ahead."