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| Field Hockey Complex | University Park, Pa. | 270 | |
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| FINAL STATISTICS |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team dominated visiting Iowa in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Big Ten Field Hockey Championship Tournament today at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Head coach Char Morett-Curtiss's squad outshot the visiting Hawkeyes 24-7 on its way to a resounding 5-1 victory.
As rain poured down on the Field Hockey Complex, the Nittany Lions were undeterred in putting for a total team effort and advancing to the Big Ten semifinals next weekend. "The team came ready to play today and we had great energy," said Morett-Curtiss. "This was a great all-around effort. We didn't let the weather conditions deter us." The game was played in a driving rain.
The Nittany Lions controlled the action from start to finish with much of the contest taking place on Iowa's end of the field. Penn State led 1-0 after the first half despite outshooting Iowa 16-3 in the opening 35:00. Iowa goalie Katie Jones kept the contest close with eight first half saves but Penn State's constant pressure in the second half was too much for Iowa. Katie Dembrowski (Palmyra, Pa.) put Penn State on the board in the first period with a goal at the 7:48 mark, the lone goal of the first half.
Gini Bramley (Elizabethown, Pa.) scored early in the second half, scoring unassisted at the 45:09 mark. Emily Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) followed that up just ten minutes later, giving Penn State a 3-0 lead at the 55:24 mark. Bramley scored again just under three minutes later (58:18) and the Nittany Lions led 4-0. Iowa got its lone goal of the game off a penalty stroke from Katie Birch at 60:39. Aurelia Meijer (Hattem, Netherlands) closed out the game's scoring with a goal at the 68:42 mark.
"We really worked on our press this week and I thought we kept great pressure on the ball," Morett-Curtiss continued. The entire backfield played very well."
The Nittany Lions outshot Iowa 24-7 and had 10 penalty corners to Iowa's four. Penn State goalie Jenny Rizzo(Hershey, Pa.) had five saves while Jones for Iowa had 10.
Penn State will be back in action in the Big Ten semifinals vs. Maryland Friday, Nov. 3, in East Lansing, Mich. with a first touch slated for 1:30 p.m. ET.
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.