Penn State field hockey narrowly lost to No. 1 seed Connecticut in the NCAA quarterfinals Sunday at Sherman Complex in Storrs, falling 4-3 to the undefeated Huskies.

Char Morett-Curtiss’ Nittany Lions finish the season 17-5, while UConn improved to 21-0 and will face No. 4 seed North Carolina in the Final Four on Friday.

How It Happened

The Huskies took an early 2-0 lead just 18 minutes into the match thanks to goals from Casey Umstead and Svea Boker. Penn State responded with back-to-back goals of its own, as Shay Cannon and Bes Bovelander beat UConn goalkeeper Nina Klein six minutes apart to even the score at 2-2 before the half.

Charlotte Veitner and Barbara van den Hoogen gave the Huskies some breathing room soon after the intermission, but Abby Myers cut the deficit to 4-3 in the 56th minute on an unassisted goal that deflected off a UConn defender and into the net. Penn State pressed the rest of the way but it wasn’t enough to tie things up again.

Player Of The Match

Barbara van den Hoogen | Sophomore | Midfielder

The Netherlands native gave the Huskies a 4-2 lead in the 52nd minute, which proved to be enough for the victory.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions head into the offseason a little earlier than they wanted, but overall it was a successful year for the team.