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| J.S. Coyne Stadium | Syracuse, N.Y. | 267 | |
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Nov. 16, 2014
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - In the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, the Penn State field hockey team fell to fourth-seeded Syracuse, 3-1, on Sunday afternoon. Senior Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) scored the goal for the Nittany Lions with just more than a minute left in the game.
"I really thought Syracuse was outstanding today," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss. "In every facet of the game, they just had great speed and connection. They're going to be a team that can vie for the championship. I just thought we came out and played a little tentatively. We needed to come out with a little bit more punch. I give a lot of credit to our seniors. They have really guided this team all season long. I'm really proud of them for what they have contributed to the program."
The Nittany Lions concluded the 2014 season with a 16-6 record. Penn State tallied 13 shots and five corners in the game. Redshirt senior Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) made a career-high 15 saves.
Less than six minutes into the game, the Orange had a breakaway. After receiving a pass, Syracuse's Emma Russell got past the Penn State defense and scored to take a 1-0 lead with 29:16 to go in the half.
With 24:34 on the clock in the opening period, senior Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) drew a penalty stroke. Classmate Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) took the shot to the lower left, but it was saved.
Penn State received a corner 1:20 later and generated three shots, including two by Herold and one by Gebhart, but didn't find the back of the cage.
The Orange added to their lead with 15:12 left in the half as Lauren Brooks scored on a shot from the right side of the cage.
Later, Syracuse stretched its lead to 3-0 as Lies Lagerweij dove and deflected the ball in from the right post with 6:50 on the clock.
Another opportunity came for the Nittany Lions near the end of the half with another penalty corner attempt. Senior Amanda Dinunzio (State College, Pa.) fired a shot wide and the score remained at the break.
Penn State got its first corner a little more than six minutes into the second period, but Herold's shot was saved. Chrismer put another shot on goal less than 30 seconds later, but it was again saved by Syracuse's Jess Jecko.
With 1:02 to go, Chrismer scored for Penn State after collecting a rebound following a corner shot and putting it into the back of the cage to cut the lead to 3-1, but it wouldn't be enough as Syracuse held on for the final minute.
The Nittany Lions finished with 16-or-more wins for the 16th time under Morett-Curtiss. It marked the squad's 30th all-time NCAA appearance, ranking third all-time, and the fifth-straight showing for Penn State. The Nittany Lions made it to at least the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the 19th time in the 30 total appearances.