No. 6 Penn State field hockey (13-3, 5-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 21 Rutgers (9-7, 3-4 Big Ten) Friday night at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex 4-1.

After a tough double overtime loss to Maryland on Sunday, the Nittany Lions rebounded and played one of their most complete games of the season.

How It Happened

Penn State’s offensive woes from the Maryland game continued in the first half against Rutgers, and the Nittany Lions went into the break down 1-0 after Nikki Santore scored in the 15th minute.

Despite the mediocre first half, Penn State came out swinging in the second, scoring three goals in a span of five minutes to break the game wide open. Bes Bovelander put Penn State on the board in the 39th minute with a penalty corner on a beautiful assist from Mary Nell Smith. Moira Putsch did the rest for the Nittany Lions, scoring goals in the 42nd, 45th, and 54th minutes to secure the hat trick and the victory.

Penn State outshot Rutgers 15-5 and had a decisive 8-1 advantage on penalty corners, making it hard for the Scarlet Knights to get any sort of momentum going on the offensive end. It was a strong showing from the Nittany Lions after a tough stretch of games in which they struggled to put points on the board.

Player Of The Game

Moira Putsch | Junior | Forward

Putsch has been Penn State’s best player all season, and she did not disappoint in this one, scoring a hat trick in the second half to seal the game.

What’s Next?

Penn State closes the regular season on Sunday against Indiana at 12 p.m. in Bloomington versus the Hoosiers.