UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany field hockey team (0-2, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 9 in the initial NFHCA Coaches Poll, fell to No. 11 Virginia (2-0) in a non-conference road game on Sunday. Penn State tied the game late only to see Virginia notch the game-winning goal with just over a minute left as the Nittany Lions lost 2-1 in Charlottesville.
The two squads battled evenly through the start of the first period, with Virginia getting the early game's lone shot on goal. The Lion defense held, and the game moved into the latter part of the opening stanza still scoreless. The first period ended in a 0-0 tie with Penn State's defense holding off three Cavalier shots in the first 15:00.
Virginia got on the scoreboard first less than two minutes into the second quarter when Anzel Viljoen scored unassisted at the 16:54 mark to give the Cavaliers a 1-0 lead. Virginia would hold Penn State off for the rest of the period and the Nittany Lions trailed 1-0 at intermission.
Virginia outshot Penn State 8-5 in the first half. Freshman goalie Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) had four saves in the first half to keep the Nittany Lions close.
Penn State came out aggressively in the third period, forcing the ball down to Virginia's half of the field and setting up a couple shots and a penalty corner. Virginia goalie Lauren Hausheer kept the Lions out of the cage however and the game continued on at 1-0. Penn State was unable to break through the Cavalier defense throughout the third period and trailed by one heading into the final stanza.
The teams traded barbs early in the fourth period with each goalie standing strong to keep the one goal spread intact. Penn State's offensive pressure paid off with under five minutes to play. The Lion offense forced a penalty corner at the 55:30 mark and it led to the first goal for Penn State. Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) took an assist from freshman Paityn Wirth (Thompsontown, Pa.) and found the back of the cage to tie the game at 1-1 at the 55:34 mark. Virginia, however, answered back just minutes later with a corner of their own. Gill Greer scored off a Rachel Robinson assist with just 1:03 to play to give Virginia a hard-fought 2-1 win.
"We had a strong third quarter for the second time this weekend, so we are making good adjustments at the half, which is nice," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "But we need to be able to carry those things through for the entire second half. We gave up late goals in each of these games, we need to be more aware of the clock. But we definitely grew as a team from Friday to Sunday, so that is a positive that we will build upon."
Virginia had a slim 14-13 edge in shots over the course of the game despite Penn State's stronger second half. Each team had six penalty corners in the game. Barraco ended the contest with six saves while Hausheer had four for Virginia.
The Nittany Lions are now 0-2 on the year while Virginia is 2-0. Penn State will visit No. 16 Delaware in its next game, battling the Blue Hens on the road next Sunday, Sept. 8, at 12 p.m.
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 3 4 FINAL
#9 PENN STATE (0-2) 0 0 0 1 1
#11 Virginia (2-0) 0 1 0 1 2
STATS: PSU UVA
Shots 13 14
Corners 6 6
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) -- TIME
2nd: UVA – Anzel Viljoen (unassisted), 16:54
4th: PSU – Anna Simon (Paityn Wirth), 55:34
4th: UVA – Gill Greer (Rachel Robinson), 58:57
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Brie Barraco 60:00 2 6
UVA: Lauren Hausheer 60:00 1 4
