UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (10-4, 3-2 B1G), ranked No. 5 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, tied the game late but lost in overtime at No. 16 Princeton (8-5) in New Jersey. Princeton scored in overtime and the Nittany Lions fell 3-2 in overtime in a battle between two top-20 teams.
Princeton came out firing on offense and took an early lead. The Tigers picked up a penalty corner less than 5:00 into the contest and turned the corner into a 1-0 lead. Beth Yeager scored at the 10:19 mark off the corner to give the home team the early edge. Princeton continued to press the Lion defense, getting off two more quick shots that Lion keeper Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) made outstanding saves on. Penn State did not get its first shot until the 3:59 mark when Sophia Gladieux (Boyertown, Pa.) fired off a shot that Princeton keeper Isla Okkinga made a save on. Penn State got dinged for a green card late in the opening period, but the Lions were able to kill the penalty and first period ended with the Nittany Lions trailing 1-0.
The home team fired off two shots in close to start the second period, with Barraco netting two early saves to keep the game at 1-0. Penn State then pushed the ball downfield where Jemma Punch (McDowall, Australia) had a shot saved by Okkinga. The Lions picked up a penalty corner in the process and tied the game up on the ensuing set. Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) scored off the corner set, with assists from Elena Vos (Grave, The Netherlands) and Mackenzie Allessie (Mount Joy, Pa.) to tie the game with 12:20 left in the second period. Simon's goal energized the Penn State offense, and the Lions went on attack. Gladieux got off two shots in the next two minutes, but the Tiger defense held. Princeton managed to work the ball into the Penn State circle midway through the second period where it forced a corner with under 8:00 left. Barraco made another save to keep the game tied. The Lion defense withstood three more Princeton shots down the stretch and the game moved to halftime tied 1-1.
Princeton outshot Penn State 10-7 in the opening half and had a 3-2 lead in corners. Barraco had five saves for Penn State while Okkinga had two for the Tigers.
Like the game's first two quarters, Princeton had the first offensive opportunity in the third. Sammy Popper fired a shot at the Lion goal just 1:30 into the period but Barraco once again proved too much, picking up her sixth save of the game to keep the Lions knotted at 1-1. Penn State responded quickly though, forcing a penalty corner a minute later. Simon's shot off the corner set was blocked, however. Princeton picked up a corner of its own at the 10:46 mark but the Lions defended the effort easily. The teams traded shots over the next eight minutes with no scoring. Gladieux had a late shot slide wide with just 1:30 left in the period, which was followed by a green card called on Princeton. The Nittany Lions held a player advantage for the rest of the period and entered the fourth tied 1-1.
Princeton began the fourth period with a quick goal to take a 2-1 lead. Grace Schulze scored just 0:59 into the final stanza, with an assist from McCarthy. Penn State quickly worked the ball downfield and forced a corner two minutes later. But Gladieux's shot off the corner play was blocked, and Penn State trailed by one with 12:00 to play. Allessie had a shot saved by Okkinga as the clock hit 10:00 as well. The Nittany Lions maintained possession and picked up a penalty corner with 6:39 left to play. But Okkinga made another save on the ensuing Lion shot and Princeton maintained its 2-1 lead. Princeton forced its first corner of the fourth period with 5:27 left to play and Barraco made a save on a Yeager shot to keep the Lions close. Penn State regained possession needing a goal to tie the game and quicky reeled off three shots. But two went wide and Okkinga made a save on the other as the clock hit the 3:00 mark. Emma Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa.) forced a corner with 2:31 left. Simon's shot off the corner set was blocked but Penn State quickly picked up another corner as the clock moved into its final minute of regulation. A Gladieux shot was blocked by the Tiger defense. But Penn State kept possession of the ball and with just :06 on the clock, Allessie scored unassisted to tie the game at 2-2 and send the game to overtime.
The seven-on-seven overtime period began with Penn State controlling the ball. Gladieux had a first shot sail just wide two minutes into the extra period. But Princeton would counter less than a minute later. Sammy Popper took an assist from Hannah Davey with 7:41 left in the extra period and scored the game winner, giving the Tigers a 3-2 overtime win.
"We left a lot of goals in front of the cage today and you cannot do that against a good team like Princeton," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "We needed more composure in the circle and had chances to score. Princeton's defense is very good, and we were just a bit off our game today. This was a missed opportunity for us."
Penn State outshot Princeton 21-16 overall but the Tigers owned a 12-8 lead in shots on goal. The Nittany Lions had a 7-5 lead in corners as well. Barraco ended the game with nine saves while Okkinga had six for Princeton
Penn State is now 10-4 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten. Princeton improves to 8-5. The Nittany Lions hit the road for two Big Ten games next weekend, at Ohio State on Friday, Oct. 22, at 3 p.m., and at Michigan State on Sunday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. Both games are Big Ten Network national telecasts.
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 OT FINAL
PENN STATE 0 1 0 1 0 2
Princeton 1 0 0 1 1 3
STATS: PSU PRIN
Shots 21 16
Corners 7 5
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) – TIME
1st: PRIN – Beth Yeager (Ali McCarthy, Opelie Bemelmans); 10:19
2nd: PSU – Anna Simon (Elena Vos, Mackenzie Allessie); 12:20
4th: PRIN – Grace Schulze (McCarthy); 14:01
4th: PSU – Allessie (unassisted); 0:05
OT: PRIN – Sammy Popper (Hannah Davey); 7:41
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Brie Barraco 62:19 3 9
PRIN: Isla Okkinga 62:19 2 6