UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 23, 2018 – The Penn State Nittany field hockey team (6-3, 2-1 B1G), ranked No. 6 in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll, dominated visiting Michigan State (4-7, 0-3 B1G) in a Sunday matinee. The Nittany Lions, led by senior Moira Putsch (Media, Pa.), scored early and often, opening up a five goal lead in the first half on their way to a resounding 8-0 Big Ten win.
Penn State wasted no time erasing the taste of a tough loss Friday night, scoring just :42 into the game. Putsch took a pass from midfielder Aurelia Meijer (Hattam, Netherlands), made a nifty move to the right of the cage, and fed Emily Klinger (Selinsgrove, Pa.) with a nice pass. Klingler deftly touched the ball past Michigan State goalie Jade Arundell to give Penn State a 1-0 lead at the 34:18 mark. The Lions continued to press the Spartans and picked up their first corner at the 30:30 mark. Arundell made a handful of saves on a number of hard Penn State shots off two corners and kept the Spartans within one. But Penn State's pressure proved too much too early for MSU with Putsch scoring unassisted at the 28:17 mark to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
Michigan State called timeout to stem the momentum and managed the ball downfield, picking up its first shots of the game but not finding the back of the cage. Penn State's defense held firm, turned the Spartans over and worked the back to the MSU side of the field. The Nittany Lions forced penalty corner with 24:00 on the clock. The Spartans blocked a solid Lion shot, but Penn State worked its way back into possession and kept action in front of the MSU goal. The Lions blew the game wide open in a two-minute span, scoring off two penalty corners to take a 4-0 lead. Putsch fed Alexis Horst (Port Trevorton, Pa.) at the 20:46 mark for a goal. She then moved the ball into senior Madison Morano (Hammonton, N.J.), who tapped it to freshman Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) at the 19:21 mark to give the Lions a four goal lead.
Penn State senior back Lauren McNally (Marmora, N.J.) left the game with an injury at the 13:28 mark after a collision in front of the Penn State circle. The Penn State defense stepped up for McNally, pushing back the Spartans and reclaiming possession. Meijer worked the ball downfield before MSU was able to recover possession and the clock moved below 12:00. The teams battled for control in the midfield for the next five minutes. Penn State's pressure led to a corner at the 6:30 mark, and the Putsch to Morano to Simon connection worked once again, this time with Simon getting the goal with 6:01 left in the half, putting the Nittany Lions up 5-0. The Spartans fought off a couple more Penn State corners as the half wound down and the Nittany Lions carried that lead into the halftime break.
The Nittany Lions dominated the opening half statistically as well as on the scoreboard. Penn State outshout Michigan State 16-2 and had eight corners to none for the Spartans. Lion goalie Jenny Rizzo (Hershey, Pa.) did not have any saves as neither of MSU's two shots were on goal thanks to a Lion defense led by McNally, Simon and senior Cori Conley (Oak Park, Ill.). Arundell had six saves for the Spartans while Jardell had two. Putsch was part of all five of Penn State's first half goals (four assists and a goal).
With senior Colleen Conway (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) in goal for the Nittany Lions to start the second half, Penn State picked up where it left off in the first half, getting two quick penalty corners in the first minutes of the game. Spartan keeper Jardell was able to push back a solid Meijer shot to keep Penn State from scoring in the flurry. Meijer moved the ball downfield as the clock moved under 30:00, sidestepping three Spartan defenders and shooting the ball hard from the top of the circle. Putsch touched the ball as it moved to the goal, and Putsch notched her second goal of the game off the Meijer assist at the 29:10 mark.
The Nittany Lions continued to keep the ball on the Spartan side of the field as the second half hit the midway point. Penn State, with senior Katie Dembrowski (Palmyra, Pa.) shifting to the backfield, continued to keep the Spartans from threatening the Lion cage. Meijer moved the ball down the right side of the field and deftly fed the ball inside to senior Gini Bramley (Elizabethtown, Pa.), who scored at the 17:34 mark to put the Lions up 7-0. Penn State nearly scored again shortly after that as senior Abby Myers (Hartland, Wis.) led a fast break that almost led to another Lion goal. But MSU keeper Arundell moved out for a nice block to keep the Lions from connecting on the effort. Penn State dominated the game's final minutes as well, but the Spartan defense kept Penn State from scoring as the clock moved below the 5:00 mark.
Michigan State put together its strongest offensive effort at the 5:00 mark, but Conway had a save on one point blank shot and Penn State mounted a nice break that ended with a Klingler goal off a Putsch assist at the 3:40 mark. Penn State closed out the game by pushing back one final Spartan effort on the Lion side of the field and rolled to the 8-0 victory.
"I was very pleased with our confidence and intensity today," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "We were not as crisp as we needed to be in certain offensive situations against Michigan Friday night but that was not the case today. We told the girls after Friday's game, you've got to want the ball and then take advantage of the opportunities you get. Today we did that and it showed."
The Nittany Lions outshot Michigan State 29-5 on the day, including a 14-0 advantage in penalty corners. Rizzo had no saves in her 35:00 stint in the first half while Conway had one in her second half action. Michigan State's Arundell had eight saves while Jardell had four.
The Nittany Lions are now 6-3 overall, 2-1 in the conference. Michigan State falls to 4-7, 0-3 in the Big Ten. Penn State travels to Rutgers on Friday, Sept. 28, for a 3 p.m. contest with the Scarlet Knights. The Nittany Lions then host James Madison on Sunday, Sept. 30, in a 12 p.m. contest at the Field Hockey Complex.
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
#6 Penn State (6-3, 2-1 B1G) 5 3 8
Michigan State (4-7, 0-3 B1G) 0 0 0
STATS: PSU MSU
Shots 29 5
Corners 14 0
SCORING SUMMARY (assist) -- TIME
1st: PSU – Emily Klinger (Moira Putsch), 34:18
1st: PSU – Putsch (unassisted), 28:17
1st: PSU – Alexis Horst (Putsch), 20:46
1st: PSU – Anna Simon (Putsch, Madison Morano), 19:21
1st: PSU – Simon (Putsch, Morano), 6:01
2nd: PSU – Putsch (Aurelia Meijer), 29:10
2nd: PSU – Gini Bramley (Meijer), 17:34
2nd: PSU – Klingler (Putsch), 3:40
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Jenny Rizzo 35:00 0 0
Colleen Conway 35:00 0 1
MSU: Jade Arundell 41:18 6 8
Monique Jardell 28:42 2 4
