UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; Sept. 11, 2022 – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (4-1, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 8 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, posted a 4-2 win at No. 24 Delaware (1-5) to close out a weekend non-conference road trip. Mackenzie Allessie (Mount Joy, Pa.) connected on two penalty strokes to lead the Nittany Lions to victory.
Penn State won the early possession battle, taking the ball down into the Hen's circle and forcing a quick penalty corner. Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) had a shot off the corner blocked. The Nittany Lions continued to control the ball as the clock moved under 10:00. Penn State's office forced a penalty stroke with 9:42 on the clock and Allessie connected on the shot to put Penn State up 1-0. Penn State added to its lead in the final minutes of the first period when Simon scored at the 2:03 mark with an assist from Caroline Myers (Hartland, Wis.). The Nittany Lions carried a 2-0 lead into the second period.
Delaware looked to get its offense on track in the second period and forced Penn State goalie Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) into a save 2:30 into the second period. The Hens forced their first penalty corner at the 9:18 mark but the Lion defense blocked the ensuing shot. The teams traded barbs over the next five minutes before Penn State's Riley Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.) got off a solid shot that UD goalie Lizzie Gaebel made a save on. The remainder of the half was scoreless, and Penn State carried a 2-0 lead into intermission.
Penn State outshot Delaware 8-3 in the first two quarters. Barraco had one save for Penn State while Gaebel had two for UD. Each team had one penalty corner.
Delaware came out firing in the second half and tied the game up in less than three minutes. The Hens forced an early corner just 1:16 into the period and Julia Del Duffhuis connected on the play to cut Penn State's lead to 2-1. Just over a minute later, Delaware tied the game up on a Noelle Del Sabbagh goal at the 12:07 mark. But Penn State responded after the Hens early burst with Sophia Gladieux (Boyertown, Pa.) scoring off an Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) assist with 9:51 left in a furious third period to put Penn State up 3-2. A torrid pace led to three goals in the first six minutes of the third period but both defenses held up over the remainder of the stanza and Penn State led 3-2 heading into the fourth.
Penn State extended its lead to 4-2 under four minutes into the final period on a second penalty stroke goal from Allessie with 11:12 on the clock. The next six minutes featured only one shot, an Allessie effort that Gaebel made a nice save on with 7:02 left in the game. Neither offense was able to break through strong defensive play by both squads and the game clock slid below the 2:00 mark. Penn State was able to work the clock down to zeroes and walk away with a hard fought 4-2 road win.
"I am very proud of our level of play today," said head coach Char Morett-Curtiss. "We really came out and played with aggression and continued to play as a cohesive team for the entire game. Delaware is a very good team and it was exciting to come out on top of what was a very well played field hockey game."
Penn State outshot Delaware 12-8 but the Hens had three corners to only one for the Nittany Lions. Barraco had a solo save for Penn State while Gaebel had three for Delaware.
Penn State is 4-1 overall. Delaware falls to 1-4. The Nittany Lions will open up Big Ten action on the road next weekend, visiting Michigan on Friday, Sept. 16, for a 5 p.m. contest. Penn State will remain in Ann Arbor to face Cornell on Saturday, Sept. 17, in a neutral site non-conference contest at 3 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
PENN STATE 2 0 1 1 4
Delaware 0 0 2 0 2
STATS: PSU UD
Shots 12 8
Corners 1 3
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) – TIME
1st: PSU – Mackenzie Allessie (penalty stroke); 9:48
1st: PSU – Anna Simon (Caroline Myers); 2:03
3rd: UD – Julia Del Duffhuis (Berber Bakermans, Ashlyn Carr); 13:38
3rd: UD – Noelle Del Sabbagh (unassisted); 12:07
3rd: PSU – Sophia Gladieux (Anna Simon); 9:51
4th: PSU – Mackenzie Allessie (penalty stroke); 11:12
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Brie Barraco 60:00 2 1
UD: Lizzie Gaebel 60:00 4 3