UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; August 31, 2018 – The Penn State Nittany field hockey team (2-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 6 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, took care of home-standing Temple (0-3) in Philadelphia Friday evening. Head coach Char Morett-Curtiss' squad dominated the Owls in a road non-conference game, posting a 4-0 victory to improve to 2-0 on the year.
The Nittany Lions offense was the story in a game that was close on the scoreboard but played almost entirely in front of the Temple goal. True freshman Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) led Penn State with two goals as the Lions broke the game open midway through the second half.
Mirroring its season opening win over Virginia, the Nittany Lion offense's constant pressure helped set the tone early on. Penn State collected a total of 13 shots in the opening 15 minutes of play. While not punching through for a score, the Lions forced Temple goalie Chloe Johnson into seven saves with a constant barrage of shots. Four different Nittany Lions had three shots apiece before the first half hit the midway point. Penn State also set up five penalty corners early as well.
Penn State's pressure paid off with under ten to play in the half, with Mary Nell Smith (Dauphin, Pa.) taking a penalty corner and setting up true freshman Simon for her first collegiate goal. Simon's goal, with assists from Smith and Madison Morano (Hammonton, N.J.) put Penn State up 1-0 at the 5:07 mark. Penn State nearly added a second goal late when Cori Conley (Oak Park, Ill.) had a solid shot blocked by Johnson as the period ended.
While Penn State's constant offensive pressure kept the bulk of the action on the Temple side of the field in the opening half, the Nittany Lion defense was once again superb. Anchored by Conley, last week's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and Simon, the Lions held Temple to zero shots, keeping the Owls from putting any pressure on talented Lion goalie Jenny Rizzo (Hershey, Pa.).
Penn State outshot Temple 22-0 in the first half, with 13 shots on goal and eight penalty corners. While Rizzo went untested in the first 35:00, Johnson kept the Owls in the game with 12 saves.
The second half began in the manner that the first played out. Penn State kept the ball on the Temple side of the field, taking shot after shot and stringing together a series of corners in the first seven minutes. But Temple's defense, and Johnson in particular, kept the Lions out of the cage and the game close. With just under 15 minutes gone in the second half, Penn State had upped its shots advantage to a gaudy 28-1 with Temple picking up its first shot just over 10 minutes into the second half.
With Penn State's pressure piling up on the Owl defense, Temple called timeout at the 19:27 mark of the second half. The Nittany Lions piled up eight more shots and seven more corners to that point. Conley, Simon and Lauren McNally (Marmora, N.J.) pushed back any slight Temple efforts to move the ball forward.
Penn State broke the game open with just under 15:00, getting two goals within a minute of each other. Simon notched her second goal of the game, once again off a Smith corner with a second assist from Morano at the 12:40 mark. Senior Emily Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) scored her first goal of the season just over a minute later, scoring unassisted at the 11:23 mark to put Penn State up 3-0. A contest that was close on the scoreboard but not statistically had broken open.
Rizzo exited the game with just over 6:00 left as classmate Colleen Conway (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) took over in the cage for the Nittany Lions. Senior Aurelia Meijer (Hattem, Netherlands) scored off a Temple save at the 4:52 mark to give the Nittany Lions a 4-0 lead, getting her first goal of the season.
Meijer's goal was the third for Penn State in a furious final 15:00 as the Lions broke free of the Owls and rolled to a second straight win. Penn State poured on 19 more shots with three finding the back of the cage in the second stanza.
"I'm very pleased with how our midfield played and with how steady our backs were," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "We know our finishing needs to get better and it will but their goalie (Johnson) had an outstanding game and kept the score close deep into the second half. I was happy with our passing game and our speed of play as well. Our middies did a nice job of opening up the game, particularly in the second half. We grew from this week in practice which is a positive."
Penn State outshot Temple 42-1 with 26 shots on goal. The Lions also had 21 penalty corners to none for Temple. The Lion goalies, led by Rizzo, had no saves as the Owls did not manage a shot on goal. Johnson kept Temple close for 55:00 before Penn State's late offensive burst. The Owl goalie had 22 saves.
Simon's two goals led Penn State with Smith and Morano each having two assists. Meijer led Penn State with 10 shots, six on goal, with one finding the back of the cage. Senior Moira Putsch (Media, Pa.), last year's leading scorer, returned to action in the game after missing the preseason and season opener with an injury. Putsch played 30 minutes and had three shots.
Penn State has a busy week next week with three games on the schedule. The Nittany Lions host No. 10 Princeton on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and Kent State on Friday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. Both games will be at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. The Nittany Lions will then return to Temple in Philadelphia to face off against No. 3 Duke at 10:30 a.m. in yet another top 10 match-up.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.
GAME BREAKDOWN
SCORING: 1 2 FINAL
Penn State (2-0, 0-0 B1G) 1 3 4
Temple (0-3) 0 0 0
STATS: PSU TEM
Shots 42 1
Corners 21 0
SCORING SUMMARY (assist) -- TIME
1st: PSU Anna Simon (Mary Nell Smith, Madison Morano) – 5:07
2nd: PSU Anna Simon (Mary Nell Smith, Madison Morano) – 12:40
2nd: PSU Emily Klingler (unassisted) – 11:23
2nd: PSU Aurelia Meijer (unassisted) – 4:52
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Jenny Rizzo 64:00 0 0
Collen Conway 6:00 0 0
TEM: Chloe Johnson 70:00 4 19
