THIS WEEK'S ACTION
#16 Penn State (2-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. #20 St. Joseph's (1-1)
DATE: Sunday, September 5, 2021, 3:00 p.m.
SITE: Penn State Field Hockey Complex
Penn State Head Coach: Char Morett-Curtiss
St. Joseph's Head Coach: Lynn Farquhar
All-Time Series: Penn State leads 9-0
Last Meeting: W, 6-1 (9/11/05 ) at Penn State
THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 1, 2021 -- The Penn State Nittany Lions (2-0, 0-0 B1G) will welcome St. Joseph's (1-1) for their field hockey home opener on Sunday, September 5, at 3 p.m. The game will be played at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex on campus.
Penn State is coming off an outstanding opening weekend, winning two games on a road swing through Virginia. Penn State used a goal from Jemma Punch in overtime to beat No. 8 Virginia 3-2 on Friday afternoon to begin its season. Two days later, senior Anna Simon knocked in three goals to lead the Nittany Lions to a 7-2 win at William and Mary.
Simon leads Penn State with eight points off four goals while sophomore Sophia Gladieux has six points off two goals and two assists. Mackenzie Allessie has three assists as she begins her Nittany Lion career. Meghan Reese has a goal and an assists as does Emma Spisak. Keeper Brie Barraco tallied 13 saves in the first two games and has a .765 save percentage.
St. Joseph's opened up its season with a 4-0 shutout win at home against Fairfield. The Hawks nearly pulled off a major upset two days later, dropping a close 4-3 overtime game at No. 9 Maryland. The Nittany Lions own a 9-0 lead in the all-time series, including a 6-1 victory in the last meeting back in 2005.
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.
NOTES
SIMON'S HAT TRICK LEADS PENN STATE TO ROAD WIN AT WILLIAM AND MARY
Senior Anna Simon notched a hat trick to lead Penn State to a 7-2 road win at William and Mary on Aug. 29. Simon's three goals all came off Penn State's superb penalty corner set. Mackenzie Allessie had two assists, Elena Vos had two assists, Meghan Reese had a goal and an assist, Emma Spisak had a goal and Sophia Gladieux had a goal and two assists. Brie Barraco had four saves in the win as well..
PUNCH'S BREAKAWAY LIFTS PENN STATE TO 3-2 VICTORY AT #8 VIRGINIA TO START SEASON
Junior Jemma Punch took a pass from senior Emma Spisak in overtime and broke away for the game-winning goal in a 3-2 (ot) win at #8 Virginia in Penn State's 2021 season opener on Aug. 27. Punch's goal capped off a thrilling road win. Anna Simon and Sophia Gladieux each had goals as well and keeper Brie Barraco withstood 25 Cavalier shots, collecting nine saves.
PENN STATE BEGINS SEASON RANKED #16 IN PRESEASON NFHCA COACHES POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team enters the season ranked No. 16 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll on Aug. 24. Penn State is one of seven Big Ten teams ranked to start the season. Michigan is ranked No. 2, Iowa 3, Northwestern 4, Maryland 9, Rutgers 15, Penn State 16 and Ohio State 22.
IMPORTANT PARKING UPDATES FOR 2021
Parking for all Penn State Athletics' non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access. For field hockey, fans are asked to park in Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be [$10/$20] per vehicle [and is cash only/can be purchased on the ParkMobile app]. The East Deck is also available for most events for $1 per hour. Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.
PENN STATE HAS TWO ROAD GAMES SET TO AIR ON BIG TEN NETWORK
The Penn State field hockey team has two road games scheduled to be aired live on the Big Ten Network to a national audience this season. The Lions' game at Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m. and their game two days later at Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m., will be telecast.
TRIO OF NITTANY LIONS ON BIG TEN'S PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST!
A trio of Nittany Lions are on the 2021 Big Ten Field Hockey Preseason Players to Watch list. Junior goalie Brie Barraco, sophomore midfielder Sophia Gladieux and junior midfield transfer Mackenzie Allessie are all on the conference's preseason list.
