UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (14-6), ranked No. 4 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, lost to No. 10 Syracuse (14-5k) in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Field Hockey Championship Tournament. The Nittany Lions fell 4-1 in the game played at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
Penn State quickly worked the ball into the Syracuse circle to start the game, with Jemma Punch (McDowall, Australia) taking a quick shot that slid just wide less than a minute into the game. The Penn State offense maintained possession and continued to press the Syracuse circle early in the game. Elena Vos (Grave, The Netherlands) fed Punch I front of the Orange cage but Syracuse goalie Brooke Borzymowski kicked the shot to the side at the 12:00 mark. Syracuse made its first foray into the Penn State circle with 10:20 on the clock but Gery Schnarrs (Camp Hill, Pa.) stole the ball and sent it out to the midfield. Syracuse kept possession for the next couple minutes, but Kelsey Love (State College, Pa.) and the Lion defense kept SU from reeling off a shot, regaining possession for the Nittany Lions with 8:00 on the clock. Meghan Reese (Coopersburg, Pa.) and the Lion midfield stifled Syracuse well into the first period, allowing the Nittany Lion offense to consistently pressure the Orangemen defense. Emma Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa.) led a fast break at the 4:00 mark, working the ball to right in front of the SU cage before her shot was blocked from behind. While Penn State dominated the action during the entirety of the period, Syracuse nearly scored at the end of the opening stanza, with both Quirine Comans and Claire Cooke firing off point-blank shots on the Nittany Lion cage and goalie Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) making superb saves on both. Barraco's quick action in the opening period's final seconds sent the game to the second stanza tied 0-0.
Syracuse had possession to start the second period and quickly moved the ball down into the Nittany Lion circle. Cooke pressed the Lion cage at the 12:40 mark, forcing Barraco into a third save to keep the game scoreless. The Orangemen continued to pressure Penn State and broke through the Lion defense for the game's first goal with 12:03 on the clock. Cooke took a pass form Comans and got the game's first goal to give Syracuse an early 1-0 lead. Penn State responded by quickly moving the ball downfield, picking up its first corner with 10:55 on the clock. Mackenzie Allessie's (Mount Joy, Pa.) shot off the set went wide, and the Lions continued to trail by one. Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) and Sophia Gladieux (Boyertown, Pa.) worked the ball back into the SU zone with 8:00 on the clock but the SU defense pushed back the effort. Syracuse responded by regaining possession and pressing the Lion circle briefly. While the Lion defense held, Penn State was unable to threaten the Syracuse goal. With 3:00 on the clock, Syracuse moved action back towards the Penn State circle. Penn State was able to keep SU from getting a shot on goal but the Orange possession worked the clock under 1:00. Syracuse forced a penalty corner with just 0:24 left in the opening half. Barraco made a save on the first shot off the SU effort and then a rebound shot hit the Lion cage post with 0:14 left. Syracuse was awarded another corner with :04 left, Barraco made another save as time expired, and Penn State trailed 1-0 at the break.
Syracuse outshot Penn State 6-3 and had a 2-1 edge in corners. Barraco had four saves for Penn State while Borzymowski had one for the Orangemen.
The teams traded possessions early in the third period. The Nittany Lion midfield worked the ball into the Syracuse circle at the 13:15 mark with Spisak feeding Gladieux in front of the cage. But the Lion's shot was blocked by the SU defense. The two teams traded steals over the next ninety seconds. Syracuse used a long pass at the 10:00 mark to set up its offense in the Penn State zone. Sophia Mannino (Doylestown, Pa.) pushed back an initial burst by the SU attack, but Syracuse kept control of the ball. The SU offense picked up a corner at the 8:55 mark. Barraco made a diving save on the corner play and then a rebound shot that found the back of the cage was waived off, and the Nittany Lions continued to trail 1-0 at the 8:30 mark. Penn State quickly worked the ball down to the Syracuse circle and forced a corner with 8:22 on the clock. The Lions did not get off a shot on the corner, picked up another corner, had a Punch shot saved, and grabbed a third straight corner. Simon took a hard shot off the third save that Borzymowski made a diving save on. Penn State picked up a fourth corner in under a minute at the 7:33 mark. Gladieux's shot was blocked by the SU keeper and a fifth corner ensued. Simon's shot was blocked, and Syracuse worked the ball down to the Penn State side of the field with 7:15 left in the period. The Orangemen quickly worked the ball to the left of the Lion cage and Hailey Bitters dribbled the ball through the Lion defense, knocking a shot into the Penn State goal with 5:59 on the clock, giving SU a 2-0 lead. Syracuse continued to pressure the Lion defense, forcing a corner at the 4:52 mark. The Orangemen took a 3-0 lead on the corner play, with Willemijn Boogert scoring with 4:50 left in the period. The Nittany Lions were able to work off a late green card as the third period wound down and force a corner with :24 on the clock. The Lions did not muster a shot on the set and trailed 3-0 after three periods.
Penn State finally broke through just over a minute into the fourth period. Gladieux sent a rocket of a backhand past the Syracuse keeper to cut the SU lead to 3-1 with 13:37 left to play. Syracuse responded by moving the ball down into the Lion circle and picking up a penalty corner with 11:35 on the clock. The Orangemen once again made good on the corner effort. Eefke van den Niewuwenhof scored with 11:17 on the clock to put SU up 4-1. Penn State force a corner with 10:07 left in the game but the Lion shot off the set was just wide. Syracuse was able to work the clock down to the 8:00 mark in the midfield as the Lions battled to retake possession. Syracuse, using the clock as an ally, continued to work the midfield as time wound down to the 5:00 mark. Brianna O'Donnell (Lansdale, Pa.) made a nice steal with 5:00 to play, nearly connecting on a shot afterwards, but Syracuse was able to defend the effort and maintain its three-goal lead. Grace Wallis (Blue Bell, Pa.) had a close shot blocked by the SU keeper at the 4:00 mark. Barraco made a save on a hard SU shot with 3:30 on the clock after a late Penn State yellow card. Syracuse pressed Penn State and picked up a penalty corner with 2:50 on the clock. Barraco knocked the SU shot aside and the clock continued to work its way to the 2:00 mark. Syracuse kept possession of the ball for the remainder of the game and the Nittany Lions fell 4-1.
"We came out and played with energy and I was very happy with that," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "But Syracuse took advantage of their opportunities, and we did not. The loss aside, this was a great experience for this team, and the younger players will carry this into next year, making us better in the end. For our seniors, I could not be prouder of a group of girls. Since they've arrived in Happy Valley, they've embodied what it is to be a Penn Stater and I am so proud of all they've achieved."
Syracuse outshot Penn State 15-11 and Penn State had a slim 8-7 edge in corners. Barraco had seven saves for Penn State while Borzymowski had five for the Orange.
Penn State ends its season with a 14-6 record while Syracuse improves to 14-5. Syracuse advances to Sunday's NCAA quarterfinal game against either Maryland or Virginia.
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
PENN STATE 0 0 0 1 1
Syracuse 0 1 2 1 4
STATS: PSU SU
Shots 11 15
Corners 8 7
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) – TIME
2nd: SU – Claire Cooke (Quirine Comans); 12:03
3rd: SU – Hailey Bitters (unassisted); 5:59
3rd: SU – Willemijn Boogert (Carolin Hoffmann) 4:50
4th: PSU – Sophia Gladieux (unassisted); 13:37
4th: SU – Eefke van den Niewuwenhof (Tess Queen, SJ Quigley); 11:17
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Brie Barraco 60:00 4 7
SU: Brooke Borzymowski 60:00 1 5