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| Field Hockey Complex| University Park, Pa. | 489 | |
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Oct. 19, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On Senior Day, the No. 5 Penn State field hockey team topped No. 18 Indiana, 2-1, at the Field Hockey Complex Sunday. Seniors Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) scored the goals for the Nittany Lions.
"I thought (Indiana's) goalie played outstanding," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss. "She just came up with a ton of saves. Eleven saves, that's awesome. I think in the second half we had more quality looks at the cage. I thought all of our seniors did a great job today."
Penn State improved to 13-3 on the season, including a 4-2 mark in the Big Ten, while Indiana fell to 9-5 and 1-5 in league play. The Nittany Lions outshot the Hoosiers, 21-7, and held a 10-4 advantage in penalty corners. Herold's goal marked the 50th of her career, tying her with Morett-Curtiss for ninth on the program's all-time list.
The first half was played primarily between the 25 yard lines. Penn State was able to force 10 shots in the opening period and drew four penalty corners. Penn State's offense put pressure on Indiana, but was unable to find the net. Defensively, the Nittany Lions held the Hoosiers to just two shots in the opening period.
Penn State opened up the second half with an early goal from Herold. After Gebhart fired off a shot inside the circle that hit the post, Herold retrieved the ball in front of the cage and fired it in. The Nittany Lions led 1-0 just 1:10 into the period.
With 23:22 remaining in regulation, Gebhart gained control of the ball again just inside the circle. The senior let off a diving shot and put it past Indiana goalkeeper Maggie Olson, giving Penn State a 2-0 lead.
With just three minutes remaining, the Hoosiers answered. Audra Heilman collected a rebound and put it in to trim the lead to 2-1.
The Nittany Lion defense held strong for the final minutes, securing the victory.
Before the Nittany Lions took the field against Indiana on Sunday, nine seniors were recognized for their contributions to Penn State field hockey, including Katie Andrews (Lancaster, Pa.), Katie Breneman (Washington Boro, Pa.), Natalie Buttinger (Kitchener, Ontario),Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.), Amanda Dinunzio (State College, Pa.),Gebhart, Casey Haegele (Warrington, Pa.), Herold and Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.).
These seniors have been to the NCAA quarterfinals twice (2011, 2012), won two Big Ten regular season titles (2012, 2013) and earned two Big Ten Tournament championships (2011, 2012). The two fifth-year seniors have made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Sunday's game was also dedicated to raising awareness for breast cancer. The Nittany Lions and the Hoosiers each wore pink warmup shirts and Penn State wore pink jerseys in the game.
Penn State next in action on the road, taking on conference foe Iowa at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25.