Sept. 8, 2016
By Mandy Bell, GoPSUSports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK - The stands at the Penn State field hockey complex will be more crowded than normal when opponents from Lock Haven and Bucknell come to town. With the added pressure of the big crowd and in-state rivalries, the Penn State Nittany Lions will be calming their nerves the only way they know how: a dance party.
"It started last year when we weren't doing very well and we knew we needed something to change," senior Emilee Ehret said. "We started to play that song before every game and it gets us going." "Once we started doing it last year, we started to do pretty well and we would look forward to going crazy in the locker room."
The Lock Haven Bald Eagles (2-0) will travel a mere 38 miles to take on the No. 5 Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) Sunday. Then, on Tuesday, Bucknell (1-2) will make its 70-mile trek to Happy Valley.
"Bucknell and Lock Haven are always tough because they are both Pennsylvania teams," Ehret said. "It's always a big rivalry when we play a Pennsylvania team because we want to be the best in the state. It's always super close when we play against them."
For Ehret, the rivalry is a little more intense. Ehret's stepmother played field hockey for Lock Haven during her collegiate years and even competed against Penn State head coach Char Morett-Curtiss.
"[My stepmom] will definitely show up wearing a Penn State shirt," Ehret said. "My dad would be pretty angry if she didn't."
Morett-Curtiss has been coaching against Lock Haven and Bucknell since she joined the Nittany Lions' coaching staff in 1987. Because of the long history, Morett-Curtiss feels as though she knows the teams extremely well.
"I would say there was more a rivalry feel in years past. We have great respect for both of them," Morett-Curtiss said. "Lock Haven beat us last year. Bucknell always gives us a great game. Both teams, I would say, are very athletic and very well-coached. They are not games that we can overlook before we head out to Iowa."
In its first two games of the season, Lock Haven scored eight goals in each game leading the team to two easy victories. With both Penn State and Lock Haven being undefeated to start this 2016 season, Morett-Curtiss is focused on having a better outcome than last year.
"Just looking at tape they are very well organized. They have five seniors that are very solid on the field. They have three girls from Trinidad and Tobago that are very talented," Morett-Curtiss said. "We know they can control the game and can score. Scoring 16 goals in two games is very impressive. Our defenders are just going to have to be on their mark."
Since 2001, the Nittany Lions have never played Lock Haven and Bucknell in back-to-back games. Sophomore Jenny Rizzo believes that this will bring two straight games of large crowds.
"There's a little bit of pressure, but I think it's good pressure. It lifts us up a lot. It always helps having people show up and cheer for us," Rizzo said. "There's no better feeling than getting a win in front of a big crowd."
Fifteen of the 27 girls on the team are Pennsylvania natives. When playing a Pennsylvania team, the players have a slightly different mindset entering a game than they would against an out-of-state team.
"It's kind of cool because a lot of girls from our team are from Pennsylvania, so it's that `dominate the state' mentality. Each week at practice we will focus on how we need to dominate the state," Rizzo said. "It was our mindset for Temple and that's going to be the same mindset with Lock Haven and Bucknell. We just want to make sure we are the best in the state."
The 27 girls will fill the Penn State locker room before the games on Sunday and Tuesday dancing to "Turbulence" by Laidback Luke. The song builds up at the beginning, increasing the girls' energies and anticipation. Then, when the beat drops, the team sprays water all over each other to let loose before the big game starts.
"With close-distance games, we try to keep the energy very positive. It can get really intense, but the more light-hearted we feel, the better we play," Ehret said. "We know we love playing field hockey, so we just try to have the best time we possibly can. "
The Nittany Lions will host the Bald Eagles at noon on Sunday at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.