Aug. 16, 2015
MANHEIM, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team continued a successful start to the 2015 preseason, earning a 3-2 victory over Drexel in a scrimmage at the Spooky Nook.
Taking on an outside opponent on just the fifth day of practice with an inexperienced roster, the Nittany Lions overcame a slow start and scored three goals in the second half, with the last being a game-winner from Shay Cannon in the final two minutes.
"We really talked about doing a better job of possessing the ball in the second half, and the defenders needed to be more aware," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtis. "That definitely improved. To get three goals in the second half was a great comeback."
The Dragons took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break, but Penn State was able to take the lead by scoring the next two goals.
"I would say that we opened up the first with a lot of young jitters," said head Coach Charlene Morett-Curtis. "We just didn't connect well on passing in the first half."
Brooke Birosik was the first to put the Lions on the scoreboard, knocking in her own rebound after hitting the top bar on a drag flip off a corner. Kirsten Gochnauer notched the second goal after well-placed setup passes from Katie Dembrowski and Stephanie Hussey for a 2-1 lead.
Drexel was able to tie the game with less than eight minutes remaining after taking advantage of a Nittany Lion turnover, but Cannon was able to come through with the decisive goal in the final minutes.
Freshman goalkeeper Jenny Rizzo played the entire game in a strong debut.
"I was real pleased with our second half," said Morett-Curtis. "We have a lot of work to do all over the field, more so out of our backfield I would say, but I was really happy with the changes we made at halftime."
Penn State opens its season Friday, Aug. 28 at Old Dominion. The home opener is Friday, Sept. 4 vs. Temple.