Sept. 15, 2017
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| Field Hockey Complex | University Park, Pa. | 494 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 2 Penn State opened Big Ten play with a 3-0 win over No. 19 Iowa Friday night at Field Hockey Complex to move to 7-0 on the season.
"We expected Iowa to come out strong," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss.
"That's the first thing I told them in the locker room, I asked them 'what do you remember about Iowa last year (?) they came out at us and went up 3-0, that's (Iowa's) mentality and that's what they're good at'."
"I thought Iowa had the run of the first 15-minutes and then when we came back I thought we controlled the last 20-minutes of the first half. We just weren't making good decisions, which surprises me the way we weren't taking care of the ball. We made some adjustments, I think our fitness level and speed kicked-in in the second half."
The 3-0 win over Iowa was the fourth shutout of the season with all four coming over the last five games. Jenny Rizzo made eight saves in the win with Skyler Fretz and Cori Conley each contributing a defensive save.
"I thought we held a great solid defensive (tone) in the first half, and it just continued on in the second half," said Cori Conley.
"In the first half we were a little, not-not prepared, but we were still getting used to how they were paying us and I think in the second half we opened it up for each other," said Moira Putsch.
Shay Cannon broke the scoreless tie for the Nittany Lions tapping in a shot from about 10 yards out on the penalty corner for Penn State to take a 1-0 lead. Moira Putsch added yet another assist to her stat line, her seventh of the season.
Following halftime, Penn State added its second goal of the game, this time with Putsch on the scoring side of the play with help from Aurelia Meijer to make it a 2-0 Nittany Lion lead.
Penn State would find the cage one more time before sending the Hawkeyes back to Iowa City, converting on a penalty stroke from Madison Morano - her third penalty stroke of the season.
Penn State held the advantage in shots (18-12) and saves (10-9) while Iowa earned three more penalty corners than the Nittany Lions finishing the game with nine.
Penn State will be back in action Sunday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. when the Nittany Lions host Delaware in a neutral site contest at the Noon in Lancaster, Pa.
For more on Nittany Lion Field Hockey, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at @PennStateFH, and on Facebook at PennStateFieldHockey.
