THIS WEEK
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (14-2, 6-1 B1G), ranked No. 3 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, will close out the regular season at No. 21 Rutgers (7-8, 3-4 B1G) on Friday, Oct. 28. The game will be a B1G Network national telecast and begins at 3 p.m. For Penn State, a win would earn a share of the 2022 Big Ten Championship (with Maryland).
Penn State is coming off a convincing 5-1 win over then-No. 2 Maryland on Friday night. Sophia Gladieux scored two goals while Mackenzie Allessie had a goal and two assists to lead Penn State to the lop-sided win in the home finale for head coach Char Morett-Curtiss' Nittany Lions.
Gladieux leads Penn State with 43 points off 20 goals and three assists while Allessie checks in at 36 off 11 and 14. Anna Simon has six and six for 18 while Jemma Punch has 14 off six and two. Goalie Brie Barraco has 62 of Penn State's 67 saves and a .775 percentage. She also has a 1.15 goals against average.
Rutgers enters the game with a 7-8 overall record, 3-4 in the Big Ten. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 4-3 loss to No. 12 Syracuse on Sunday. Penn State leads the all-time series with the Scarlet Knights 19-8-3. Iris Langejans leads RU with 14 points off four goals and six assists while Marique Dieudonne has 11 off four and three. Goalie Sophia Howard has 70 saves and a .693 percentage.
The Big Ten Tournament is up next for the conference's teams. Ohio State will serve as the host site on Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 3-6, in Columbus, Ohio.
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
PENN STATE SHINES IN 5-1 WIN OVER #2 MARYLAND; VOS NAMED B1G DEFENSIVE P.o.W.
Penn State's Mackenzie Allessie and Sophia Gladieux each tallied four points to spark Penn State to a resounding 5-1 win over No. 2 Maryland on Oct. 21 in the home finale for Penn State. Gladieux notched two goals in the win while Allessie had a goal and two assists. The Penn State defense was superb in the contest, led by Elena Vos. Vos anchored the defense that held Maryland to just seven shots and she had two assists as part of Penn State's penalty corner offense. Vos was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts as well.
GLADIEUX SCORES TWICE TO LEAD LIONS TO 3-0 WIN AT KENT STATE
Nittany Lion junior Sophia Gladieux scored twice in Penn State's 3-0 win at Kent State on Oct. 16, completing a weekend shutout sweep of non-conference opponents (the Lions won 4-0 at Bucknell two nights earlier). Anna Simon scored Penn State's other goal in the win.
NITTANY LIONS SHUTOUT BUCKNELL 4-0; BARRACO AND DELGADO COMBINE FOR SHUTOUT
Penn State broke open a close game at Bucknell on Oct. 14, scoring three goals in the third to roll to a 4-0 win in Lewisburg. Brie Barraco and Lauren Delgado combined for a shutout in the win, with Delgado collecting three of Penn State's four saves in the fourth period alone. Jemma Punch scored twice and Sophia Gladieux added a goal as well.
SIMON AND GLADIEUX, AGAIN, BOTH SCORE AS LIONS BEAT LAFAYETTE IN DOUBLE-OT; GLADIEUX NAMED B1G OFFENSIVE P.o.W.
Mirroring the Iowa game from two days prior, Anna Simon scored in regulation off a penalty corner and Sophia Gladieux scored in double overtime to spark Penn State to a hard-fought 2-1 double-overtime win against visiting Lafayette on Oct. 9. Gladieux's game-winner was the second in three days, both in extra time, for the Lion junior and she was honored as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts (co-, week of 10/9).
SIMON AND GLADIEUX LEAD LIONS TO OVERTIME WIN AGAINST #4 IOWA
Anna Simon scored in regulation and Sophia Gladieux notched the game winner (off a Simon assist) in overtime to lead the Nittany Lions to a 2-1 OT victory over visiting Iowa on Oct. 7. The win was the first of two extra time victories for the Nittany Lions in three days.
GLADIEUX'S HAT TRICK LEADS PENN STATE TO 4-0 SHUTOUT WIN AT INDIANA
Sophia Gladieux scored three of Penn State's four goals in a 4-0 shutout win at Indiana on Oct. 2. Gladieux's offensive burst was on top of a goal and two assists from Mackenzie Allessie. Goalies Brie Barraco and Lauren Delgado combined for the shutout in goal for Penn State.
ALLESSIE NOTCHES 3 GOALS, LIONS DROP 5-4 OT GAME AT #2 NORTHWESTERN
Penn State senior Mackenzie Allessie scored three goals against No. 2 Northwestern but a late penalty stroke for the Wildcats gave the home team a 5-4 (ot) win on Friday, Sept. 30 in Evanston, Ill. Allessie also added a goal and two assists two days later at Indiana for a 10-point week.
NITTANY LIONS DOWN #23 OHIO STATE 2-0
Penn State took down No. 23 Ohio State 2-0 on Sept. 25 behind Mackenzie Allessie's game-winning goal late in the third and a third straight shutout for goalie Brie Barraco. Jemma Punch added an open net goal late in the game for the final tally.
LIONS SHUTOUT MICHIGAN STATE 4-0
Mackenzie Allessie had a goal and an assist and Brie Barraco came up with three big saves to lead Penn State to a 4-0 shutout win over visiting Michigan State on Sept. 23. Allessie's three points led a balanced Lion offense and Barraco notched her second straight shutout.
BARRACO NOTCHES 10 SAVES TO LEAD LIONS TO 2-1 WIN AT #7 MICHIGAN; NAMED B1G DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior goalie Brie Barraco recorded 10 saves, including seven in a furious third period, to lead Penn State to a 2-1 victory at No. 7 Michigan on Sept. 16. Barraco's performance, and a goal and an assist from Sophia Gladieux, helped Penn State overcome a 23-3 deficit in shots during the game. Barraco was named B1G Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts.
ALLESSIE SCORES TWICE, LIONS SHUTOUT CORNELL 3-0
Mackenzie Allessie scored twice and Brie Barraco notched her first shutout of the season as the Penn State Nittany Lions beat Cornell 3-0 in Ann Arbor, a neutral site game played at Michigan. The win came less than 24 hours after Penn State beat Michigan 2-1.
ALLESSIE NOTCHES TWO GOALS TO LEAD PENN STATE TO 4-2 WIN AT NO. 24 DELAWARE
Mackenzie Allessie scored on two penalty strokes to lead Penn State to a 4-2 victory at No. 24 Delaware on Sept. 11. Allessie's goals helped Penn State close out a weekend road sweep of ranked foes (the Lions won at St. Joseph's on Friday, Sept. 9).
LIONS TAKE DOWN NO. 12 ST. JOSEPH'S
Penn State used fourth period goal from Grace Wallis to grab an important 2-1 win over No. 12 St. Joseph's on the road. The host team scored early in the game but Penn State's defense held firm after that. Carly Gannon tied the game with a first half goal, setting up Wallis' game-winner in the fourth.
GLADIEUX NETS SEVEN POINTS IN 6-2 WIN AT UALBANY
Junior Sophia Gladieux netted seven points in Penn State's 6-2 road win at UAlbany on Saturday, Sept. 3. Gladieux scored three goals off Penn State's penalty corner offense and added an assist to lead the Lions.
LIONS DROP 2-1 GAME TO NO. 9 LOUISVILLE ON LATE PENALTY STROKE
No. 9 Louisville used a penalty stroke in the final 5:00 to break a tie game and post a 2-1 win over the Nittany Lions at the FH Complex on Aug. 28. Sophia Gladieux had Penn State's lone goal in the game.
GLADIEUX SCORES IN FINAL SECONDS TO LIFT PENN STATE OVER NO. 12 VIRGINIA
Junior Sophia Gladieux scored on a fast break with just :32 left in the game to lift Penn State to a 3-2 win over No. 12 Virginia at the FH Complex in the season opener for both teams on Aug. 26. Gladieux's goal capped off a thrilling Lion win that also saw Meghan Reese and Jemma Punch find the back of the cage.
