UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; October 14, 2018 – The Penn State Nittany field hockey team (10-4, 5-2 B1G), ranked No. 6 in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll, withstood a late rally to down No. 15 Northwestern (8-8, 3-4 B1G) to wrap up a Big Ten road weekend. Penn State posted a 4-3 victory in Evanston on Sunday, staving off a Northwestern rally after leading 4-1 at halftime.
Both teams opened up the game aggressive and Lion goalie Jenny Rizzo (Hershey, Pa.) was peppered with early shots, saving the first few before Wildcat Saar de Breij put Northwestern up with an early goal at the 30:24 mark. The Nittany Lion defense was forced to push back again almost immediately after with Rizzo coming up with a big save to keep the Wildcats from opening up an even bigger lead less than five minutes into the game. Northwestern's offense was on point throughout the early part of the game, keeping the ball on the Penn State side off the field for much of the time. Penn State had a brief possession in the Northwestern circle at the 25:00 mark, but Northwestern was able to regain possession and keep Penn State's offense from finding any rhythm. Northwestern got hit with a green card at the 23:30 mark, giving the Nittany Lions a player advantage for two minutes.
Penn State was unable to take advantage with a Moira Putsch (Media, Pa.) shot missing just wide with 21:30 and a Cassie Kline shot blocked by Wildcat keeper Annie Kalfas to kill the penalty. Penn State kept the pressure up, however, and with the teams at even strength, Gini Bramley (Elizabethtown, Pa.) found Putsch, who scored at the 20:22 mark to tie the game at 1-1. Penn State took the lead two minutes later with Bramley notching the solo goal with 18:34 to play in the first half to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. The quick two-goal burst helped Penn State erase a surprising early deficit. Penn State maintained possession for over 10:00 during the middle portion of the first half. With Aurelia Meijer (Hattam, Netherlands) at the midfield and Cori Conley (Oak Park, Ill.) on defense, Penn State silenced the early Northwestern pressure and allowed Penn State to keep its 2-1 lead as the clock moved to the 11:00 mark.
Northwestern worked the ball down to the Penn State side of the field with 9:00 and the Wildcats kept possession for a couple minutes, but a slick Conley steal gave Penn State a chance to move the ball back down to the Wildcat side of the field. The teams traded barbs for the next couple minutes before Penn State picked up a penalty corner with 6:00 left. Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) had a hard shot blocked and Mary Nell Smith (Dauphin, Pa.) knocked in the rebound to put the Lions up 3-1 with 5:32 left in the half. The Nittany Lions peppered Kalfas with a flurry of shots in the final 5:00 and scored a fourth goal on an untimed penalty corner as the half ended with Alexis Horst (Port Trevorton, Pa.) knocking in a rebound to give Penn State a 4-1 lead at the break.
After a slow start, Penn State dominated the bulk of the opening 35:00, outshooting Northwestern 11-3. Penn State had a 3-0 edge in corners. Rizzo had two saves for Penn State while Kalfas has four for the Wildcats.
Penn State controlled the action at the start of the second half, not letting Northwestern regain any momentum and keeping the action set firmly in front of the Wildcat cage for the first four minutes. But Northwestern was able to move the ball down to the Lion side of the field and picked up their first penalty corner with 31:00 left and Maren Seidel scored at the 30:40 mark to cut the Penn State lead to 4-2. Northwestern continued to press on offense after the Seidel goal, keeping Penn State on the defensive as the clock moved below the 25:00 mark. Bramley forced a Wildcat turnover, allowing Penn State to briefly regain possession and move the ball out of the Lion backfield for a bit, but Northwestern reset itself and reset its offense.
Conley kept Northwestern from connecting on a deep offensive press with 20:00 on the clock but Northwestern regained possession. Penn State was finally able to regain control and moved the ball down to the Wildcat circle where it picked up a penalty corner with 18:30 left to play in the game. Northwestern defended the corner, but Penn State was able to steadily work its way to another corner at the 16:00 mark. Northwestern blocked a hard Simon shot off the corner but Penn State kept control of the ball, working the clock down to the 15:00 mark. Northwestern then pushed the ball down to the Lion side off the field at the 13:00 mark, picking up a penalty corner. The Lions defended the first corner, Northwestern picked up a subsequent one, and this time the Wildcats scored as Mackenzie Keegan scored off a Charlotte Vaziri assist to cut the Lion lead to 4-3 with 12:13 to play.
Penn State called timeout with a once substantial lead cut to just one. With Northwestern pressing for a game-tying goal, Penn State's defense held firm for three minutes until Northwestern's offense forced a penalty corner with 8:45 on the clock. Rizzo was able to block a good Northwestern shot but Northwestern kept control of the ball. The Wildcat offense forced a fifth penalty corner at the 7:45 mark. Conley blocked the Northwestern shot with 7:00 left and the Lions took possession of the ball with Madison Morano (Hammonton, N.J.) stealing the ball with 7:00 to play. The Lions turned the ball over, however, and Northwestern once again set up on the Lion side of the field. Rizzo made a fantastic stick save on a crossing pass with 5:30 left.
Northwestern pulled its goalie with 2:11 to play as NU frantically tried to tie the game up. With the clock ticking below the 1:30 mark, Northwestern got a restart on the right side of the circle. The Lion defense held first as the clock moved below 1:00 to play and continued to stifle the Wildcats for the remaining seconds. Northwestern's last effort was negated with a turnover and Penn State posted a hard-fought 4-3 win.
"We played very well in the first half after giving up that early goal," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "We played with poise and aggressively in the first half. We can't let teams come back the way Northwestern did in the second half but they are a good team and pressed us. Our defense held strong at the end of the game. Gini Bramley played an outstanding game for us from one end of the field to the other."
Penn State outshot Northwestern 15-8 for the game, including 10 on goal. The Lions had a slim 6-5 edge in penalty corners as well. Rizzo had three saves while Kalfas had six for the Wildcats.
The Nittany Lions are now 10-4, 5-2 in the Big Ten, while Northwestern falls to 8-8, 3-4 in the B1G. Penn State hosts Indiana on Friday, Oct. 19, in its Big Ten finale. The game with the Bison is set for 6 p.m. at the Penn State 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 (10-4, 5-2 B1G) 4 0 4
#15 Northwestern (8-8, 3-4 B1G) 1 2 3
STATS: PSU NU
Shots 15 8
Corners 6 5
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) -- TIME
1st: NU – Saar de Breij (unassisted), 30:24
1st: PSU – Moira Putsch (Gini Bramley), 20:22
1st: PSU – Bramley (unassisted), 18:34
1st: PSU – Mary Nell Smith (unassisted), 5:32
1st: PSU – Alexis Horst (unassisted), 0:00
2nd: NU – Maren Seidel (Puck Pentenga), 30:40
2nd: NU – Mackenzie Keegan (Charlotte Vaziri), 12:13
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Jenny Rizzo 70:00 3 3
NU: Annie Kalfas 68:00 4 6
Team 2:00 0 0
