Nov. 4, 2016
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COLLEGE PARK, MD - For the first time since 2012, Penn State will play for the Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament Championship as the Nittany Lions defeated Michigan 1-0 Friday afternoon at Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex on the campus of the University of Maryland.
Penn State has earned the right to play for a Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2012 when the Nittany Lions defeated Michigan 2-0 on Nov. 4, 2012 In Iowa City, IA to capture their most recent of their conference record six Big Ten Tournament Championship.
"I thought it was just a great field hockey game," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss.
"I thought there was a lot of action, I thought we started out really possessing the ball, drawing some great corners, setting up some great scoring opportunities - their goalkeeper did a nice job. I thought the second part of the second half Michigan picked up their game and they really turned some things on and got us back on our heels. I told the team at halftime 'it's a new half, we've got to get the game back' and I thought that we did a good job. It was a little back-and-forth in the beginning of the second half but I really thought we owned the end of the second half with an awesome goal by Moira (Putsch) just top have that composure and rip a shot like that, I'm just proud of the girls and how they kept Michigan off the board, that's not an easy task."
"Jenny (Rizzo) played awesome today," Morett-Curtiss continued.
"I thought all the backs, Emilee (Ehret), Skyler (Fretz), Carly (Celkos), I thought all three of them played really really well. Katie Dembrowski fought through some marking in the midfield and I really thought they held their own. I thought our forwards did a good job of getting pressure on the ball, one thing we said was 'get pressure on the ball make them give the ball up' so I was really proud of the way Brooke (Birosik) and Gini (Bramley) got good pressure on the ball."
Scoreless at the half Penn State found themselves in a battle with the Wolverines of Michigan.
Penn State led in shots (6) and penalty corners (4) but by only a small margin as Michigan recorded five shots in the first half and earned three penalty corners through 35 minutes of play.
The second half proved to be just as tough a battle as the opening half as each team spend the majority of the half playing in-between the 25's.
Penn State's Moira Putsch (Media, Pa.) broke the tie on a shot from the right side of the circle to score the game winning goal.
Putsch received a Katie Dembrowski (Palmyra, Pa.) pass dribbled the ball through Michigan's Katie Tombetta's legs before ripping a shot that landed in the back left corner of the cage.
"Aurelia came up with a great tackle and then fed the ball to Katie, and Katie gave me an amazing pass," said Putsch.
"I kind of just spun around and tried to rip it as fast as I could, I mean, we weren't getting many shots off today so I tried to capitalize off that opportunity. Before the game we tried to mentally prepare because we knew it was going to be a physical game"
Postgame, Putsch talked with the Big Ten Networks Dean Linke (Chapel Hill, NC) who asked the sophomore forward about her decision to transfer and what it's like to be at Penn State to which Putsch replied "I couldn't be happier to be at Penn State. My family is there and I feel like the luckiest person not only to have my family there but this new family - the team - everyone has been incredible throughout out my transfer and everything and I'm just really grateful to be here at Penn State."
Penn State finished the game outshooting Michigan 14-7 while also earning more penalty corners than the Wolverines at 9-4. Penn State improves to 16-2 overall and improves to 26-19 all-time against the Maize & Blue. This is also the first time Penn State has defeated Michigan twice in a season since that 2012 season when Penn State captured both the Big Ten regular season and Big Ten Tournament titles en route to an NCAA Quarterfinal appearance.
Three of Penn State's last six Big Ten tournament games have been 1-0 decisions.
The tournament's last three 1-0 regulation decisions have involved Penn State.
Penn State will face the winner of the Big Ten Semifinal Game No. 2 - Maryland and Northwestern - Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. in the 2016 Big Ten Tournament Championship game.
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