UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (3-2) fell to the No. 4 Princeton Tigers (3-1) on Sunday afternoon at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex, 1-2. After trailing for two periods, Penn State was able to get a late third period goal but were unable to secure the equalizer in the final minutes.
Cooper Cutchins scored the first goal of her career off a penalty corner. Reigning Big Ten and NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week Aby Deverka added four saves onto her season total and Sienna Dunn and Ella Gaitan each provided an assist on Cutchins' score.
FIRST PERIOD | PSU 0 - NO. 4 PRINCETON 0
Possession from both sides of the field was back-and-forth in the opening minutes of play. But after some control from the Tigers, they earned a corner at the 5:51 mark. The Princeton team was able to get off two shots, with one being blocked and the other being saved by Deverka, her first save of the match. The remainder of the period played out with more back-and-forth possession. With strong offense and defense from both sides, the period concluded scoreless.
SECOND PERIOD | PSU 0 – NO. 4 PRINCETON 2
The second period opened with Princeton in possession. Keeping control of the ball, Princeton earned its first goal of the match at 10:40. While Penn State was able to push the ball downfield, the Tigers’ defense kept crashing in and didn’t allow a Nittany Lion shot. The ball quickly returned to the other end of the field, where the Tigers gained another corner and converted. After a succession of three saves by Deverka in the closing moments of the period, the period concluded with the Nittany Lions trailing.
THIRD PERIOD | PSU 1 – NO. 4 PRINCETON 2
Starting off hot, the Blue and White earned an early penalty corner at the 13:21 mark. Seconds later, at the 13:16 mark, Cutchins scored the first Penn State goal of the match off a rebound of a Gaitan shot with Dunn stopping the initial penalty corner. The goal was the first Princeton’s Olivia Caponiti has allowed so far this season. Penn State was able to earn two more penalty corners throughout the period, with a shot on each, but both neither converted and the period ended with a green card on Princeton.
FOURTH PERIOD | PSU 1 – NO. 4 PRINCETON 2
Despite the green card that went into the fourth period, the Nittany Lions were unable to get any shots off during the woman-up advantage. The majority of the fourth period saw more of the back-and-forth possession, with a stronger offense showing from Penn State. The Nittany Lions were able to earn two penalty corners at 1:22 and 0:41, with a shot from Gaitan during both. Ultimately, the Nittany Lions were unable to produce the equalizing goal needed to tie the match in its final moments.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will be back at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex on Thursday, September 17 at 5 p.m. to host the Maryland Terrapins. Fans can stream the contest on B1G+ and can attend all games played at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex at no cost.
Visit GoPSUSports.com for the up-to-date information on Penn State Field Hockey. Fans can follow Penn State Field Hockey social media on Facebook at /pennstatefieldhockey as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateFH.