Oct. 28, 2016
| 3 | 2 |
| Field Hockey Complex | University Park, Pa. | 677 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State's (14-2, 6-2 B1G) Brooke Birosik (Ickesburg, Pa.) scored a pair of goals to help the Nittany Lions close out the regular season with a 3-2 conference win over Indiana (8-10, 3-5 B1G) Friday night at Field Hockey Complex.
"I was really proud of our seniors, I thought they did a great job," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss.
"Emilee, Carly, Brooke and Kirsten, they've really been the steady four for this team all year and elevated our play, I thought they played great," Morett-Curtiss continued. "(Brooke) plays hard all the time, I'm happy to see her get some goals because she hadn't the past couple games so it's good to get her back on the scoring track. I thought we did a good job of possessing the ball in the first half, and I thought we got sloppy with it in the second half. Before the game, we talked about the seniors and how they each have a different personality and what they bring to this team. Emilee brings composure, Kirsten brings a lot of determination, Carly brings a lot of steadiness, and Brooke brings a lot of physical aggressiveness and I think that sets the tone for us."
Birosik and Moira Putsch (Media, Pa.) each scored a goal in the first period to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Birosik found the cage in the sixth minute of the game following a Penn State penalty corner.
With Putsch on the insert, Birosik blasted the ball into the cage for her 10th goal of the season, giving the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.
In the 24th minute, Putsch dribbled into the circle with a clear path to the goal and fired a reverse shot to earn her 14th goal of the season - currently leading the team - to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Out of the halftime intermission, Birosik scored her second goal of the game in the 40th minute. Finding an opening through the Hoosiers defense, Birosik launched the ball to earn her 11th goal of the season, tying a career single season high, extending the Penn State lead to 3-0 lead.
Following the 3-0 run by the Nittany Lions, Indiana went on a 2-0 run of their own as their lead goal scorer, Kate Barber, scored twice to cut the Nittany Lions lead down to one with less than 10 minutes remaining in the second half.
The Hoosiers rally fell short, as they were unable to connect on a game-tying goal before time expired.
Penn State dominated the Hoosiers on the offensive side of the ball, attempting 25 shots to Indiana's 13 and earning 10 penalty corners compared to six by the Hoosiers.
Penn State completes the regular season with a 14-2 overall record and 6-2 in Big Ten play.
Recording two losses in conference play, the Nittany Lions currently have the second best conference record behind Maryland (6-1). Penn State will enter next week's Big Ten tournament as the No. 2 seed.
The 2016 Big Ten field hockey tournament will be Nov. 3-6 in College Park, MD. The quarterfinals and semifinal will be played on Nov. 3-4, while the Big Ten Championship game will be played on Sunday Nov. 6. The Nittany Lions will learn their first round opponent following the conclusion of this weekend's Big Ten games.