UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (6-3, 1-0 B1G), ranked No. 19 in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll, rolled to a 5-1 win over visiting Lafayette (5-4) in non-conference action. Senior Phia Gladieux scored twice and had an assist as Penn State won its sixth straight contest. The game was preceded by the official dedication of Char Morett-Curtiss Field at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex, the legendary former Penn State head coach.
Lafayette moved the ball into the Lion zone a minute into the game, but Penn State’s defense forced a turnover and pushed the ball back to the midfield. The teams traded possessions through the 11:00 mark. Lafayette pressured the Lion zone with 10:30 on the clock. Gery Schnarrs forced a turnover at 10:00 and fed Ella Jennes to start a fastbreak back to the Leopard side of the field. Lafayette’s defense held and pushed the ball to the Lion circle. The Cougars set up on offense at 6:00, getting off the game’s first shot. But Lea Good’s shot was wide of the Lion cage and the game remained scoreless. Morgan Snyder stole the ball at the midfield with 3:30 on the clock to break up a quick Lafayette break, allowing Penn State to reset on offense. Senior Phia Gladieux and the Lion offense pushed the ball into the Leopard zone at 2:40. But Lafayette was able to regain the ball, moved into the Lion zone and picked up the game’s first penalty corner with 2:06 on the clock. The shot off the play was wide and the game moved to the second period tied 0-0.
Penn State came out fast to start the second period, moving in on the Lafayette cage. Freshman Katelyn Strawser took a shot that forced LC keeper Raffi Fragomeni into making a save on, nearly notching the first goal of the game just :30 into the period. Penn State kept the pressure on Lafayette through the 12:00 mark, keeping the ball primarily on its side of the midfield stripe. A Penn State turnover gave the Leopards the ball deep in the Penn State zone at 10:00. The Penn State defense scrambled while Deverka came out and pressured the Lafayette push. Senior Julia Lamb made a defensive save on a quick Leopard shot but Lafayette picked up another corner. Deverka then made a nice save on the play and the remained scoreless with 9:20 left in the half. Penn State gave up a green card at 8:08 to give the Leopards a player edge. It was Penn State, however, who got on the board during the penalty. Gery Schnarrs lifted a long pass down the left side. After sliding past an LC defender, junior Morgan McMenamin gathered the ball, pivoted around Fragomeni, and scored at 6:57 to give Penn State a 1-0 lead. Jennes was tripped up on a break at 2:46, giving Penn State its first corner of the game. Penn State could not connect on the play and Lafayette quickly moved into the Penn State circle, picking up a corner of their own at 2:26. Penn State’s Madison Tambroni blocked the hard shot off the set and Penn State held its lead through the 2:00 mark. Gladieux worked the Lafayette zone, forcing a corner at :46. Gladieux’s first shot off the play was blocked, but the Lion senior quickly collected the ball and launched it past Fragomeni with :39 on the clock to send Penn State into the halftime break leading 2-0.
Lafayette outshot Penn State 6-4 in the first half and had a 3-2 edge in penalty corners. Deverka had a save and Lamb notched a defensive one for Penn State. Fragomeni also had a save for Lafayette.
The Nittany Lions came out hot in the third period, moving quickly into the Leopard zone. Gladieux sent a long pass close to the cage, Strawser tipped it past the keeper and Natalie Freeman knocked the ball for Penn State’s third goal at the 14:08 mark. The Leopards pressured the Penn State defense for the next few minutes, keeping the ball on the Lion side through the 10:0 mark. Morgan Snyder made a sweet steal at 9:51 to stop the press and give the ball back to the Nittany Lions. Deverka intercepted a hard pass with 7:20 on the clock to stop another deep Lafyette push. Penn State was hit for a green card at 6:36. The Lion defense was able to kill the penalty and keep Lafayette from threatening Deverka and the cage. The Leopards were able to force a penalty corner with 3:36 on the clock. Deverka made three saves after the first corner, another after a quick second, a fifth after a quick third corner, and Snyder blocked a shot on a fourth consecutive corner. Penn State maintained its 3-0 lead as the clock moved to the 2:00 mark. Penn State was able to return the ball to the Lafayette side of the field with 1:00 left in the period and led by three after three.
Lafayette forced a quick penalty corner to open up the fourth period. Tambroni made a block on the shot off the set and then Snyder made a defensive save off the rebound shot to keep Lafayette off the board. Sofia Acosta made two steals on two quick Lafayette breaks as the clock hit the 12:00 mark as Penn State battled in the midfield. Jennes fed Gladieux breaking to the top of the circle and the Lions picked up a penalty corner with 9:27 left in the game. Julienne van Bekkum fed the ball into Gladieux, top left on the circle, and Gladieux knocked the ball into the back of the cage at 9:21 to put Penn State up 4-0. Madison Britton worked the ball into the Leopard circle a minute later and forced another PSU corner with 8:29 on the clock. Penn State’s van Bekkum had a shot blocked off the set, but she quickly gathered the ball and drove the rebound in for the goal at 8:21 to give the Nittany Lions a 5-0 lead. Lafayette got on the board at the 5:50 mark when Emma Maher scored off a Lineke Spaans assist to cut the lead to 5-1. Jennes controlled the midfield for Penn State as the clock hit 3:00 as Penn State worked to continue to pressure the Leopard circle. Penn State worked the Leopard side of the field for the remainder of the game and posted the convincing 5-1 win.
“We started slower than I had hoped but managed to battle through it,” said head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love. “We then were able to break through in the second period, getting some great goals and did a nice job offensively capitalizing on our opportunities. We had some good flashes throughout the game, and it was nice to get scoring from a number of different players. This was a great win to cap off a two-win weekend.”
Lafayette outshot Penn State 16-10 and had a 9-4 lead in corners. But Deverka’s six saves, and two defensive ones (Lamb, Snyder) allowed the Lions to roll to the win. Fragomeni had two saves for the Leopards.
Penn State is now 6-3, 1-0 B1G. Lafayette falls to 5-4. Penn State hits the road for two Big Ten road games next weekend, visiting Iowa on Friday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m. Eastern and Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. Eastern.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on X and IG @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.
GAME BREAKDOWN
SCORING: 1 2 3 4 FINAL
PENN STATE 0 2 1 2 5
Lafayette 0 0 0 1 1
STATS: PSU LC
Shots 10 16
Corners 4 9
SCORING SUMMARY (goal/assist) – TIME
2nd: PSU – Morgan McMenamin (unassisted); 6:57
2nd: PSU – Phia Gladieux (unassisted); 0:39
3rd: PSU – Natalie Freeman (Katelyn Strawser, Phia Gladieux); 14:08
4th: PSU – Phia Gladieux (Julienne van Bekkum); 9:21
4th: PSU – Julienne van Bekkum (unassisted); 8:29
4th: LC – Emma Maher (Lineke Spaans); 5:50
GOALKEEPERS: MIN GA S
PSU: Aby Deverka 60:00 1 6
Team (defensive) 2
LC: Raffi Fragomeni 60:00 5 2