EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-4, 2-1 Big Ten) secured its second straight overtime victory with a gritty 1-0 win over the Michigan State Spartans (4-8, 0-5 Big Ten) on Friday afternoon at Ralph Young Field.
Ella Gaitan scored the lone and golden goal of the afternoon matchup with Lara Pyle on the assist. Gaitan led the team in shots and shots on goal with five and three, respectively, while Joji Purdy followed behind with three shots. Sienna Dunn and Natalie Freeman were both perfect in placing their shots on goal. Penn State outshot Michigan State to the tune of 12-1 and maintained the corner advantage, 8-1. Aby Deverka had another clean sheet, her fifth of the year, as the Penn State defense as a collective dominated the game.
FIRST HALF | PSU 0 – MSU 0
The Penn State offense put pressure on the Michigan State defense throughout the first half but were unsuccessful in converting those opportunities. The Nittany Lions tallied six shots in the first half and held the Spartans shotless. The Blue & White secured two penalty corners during the half with none going Michigan State’s way.
SECOND HALF | PSU 0 – MSU 0
Penn State’s offense continued to overpower the Michigan State defense but were unable to convert those into goals. The Blue & white once again outshot the Spartans, 5-1, while pushing the penalty corner advantage to 6-1 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
OVERTIME | PSU 1 – MSU 0
The Nittany Lions needed little time to score during the free field hockey period. Gaitan, just over a minute into the overtime, scored the game’s only goal. Penn State has now won four games in a row.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will head to Kent, Ohio to finish the weekend road trip with a showdown against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Murphy-Mellis Field. Fans can stream the game on BoxCast.
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.