Nov. 11, 2017
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| Sherman Complex | Storrs, Conn. | 567 | |
| POST GAME LINKS |
| Box Score (HTML) | Box Score (PDF) |
| FINAL STATISTICS |
STORRS, Conn. - In the crisp chill of championship season, No. 6 Penn State advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinal with a 2-1 OT win over defending national champion No. 7 Delaware Saturday afternoon at Sherman Complex.
"I thought we had a great first-half," said head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss.
"[Delaware] got the momentum going in the second-half and had us back on our heels a little bit. I felt it was important for us in overtime to maintain possession, which we did. We had some really good buildup into some good looks in the circle. Gini [Bramley] passed it to Moira [Putsch] and she just waited and waited before scoring the gorgeous goal. It was a great way to finish. I thought we weathered the card with Cassie [Kline] late in the game, but I think it was just a true showing of our competitive spirit today, " Morett-Curtiss finished.
scoreless through the first 35-minutes, Penn State held the advantage in shots and penalty corners, posting 12 and three, respectively.
Jenny Rizzo made seven saves on the day, with each coming in key moments of the game.
One of those moments was in the opening half as Rizzo made back-to-back-to-back saves on a Delaware possession that kept the Nittany Lions alive.
"Jenny was awesome today," said Morett-Curtiss.
"I think that's the best I've seen our team play all season," said Jenny Rizzo.
"We really were persistent, and our big thing is being relentless, not reckless and I think we saw that a lot today, especially in the second half when Delaware kept coming down [into the circle]. I felt a lot of confidence in my team and they were confident in me," Rizzo finished.
Penn State struck first with a goal from Gini Bramley scored from in front of the cage to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead just a few minutes into the second-half.
Delaware remained aggressive, posting a goal of their own with less than five minutes in regulation to knot it up at one apiece.
Penn State had a few more looks at the cage before time expired and the teams headed into overtime.
Six minutes into extra hockey, Moira Putsch patiently waited for the right moment before unleashing a shot that found the cage and lifted the Nittany Lions over the reigning NCAA Champions advancing Penn State to the NCAA Quarterfinal for the first time since 2014.
Penn State will return to Sherman Complex tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET to face No. 1 seed Connecticut in an NCAA Quarterfinal showdown that will feature the Dembrowski sisters. Junior Katie Dembrowski plays for Penn State while younger sister Jessica Dembrowski is a freshman midfielder for the UConn Huskies.
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.