No. 6 Penn State field hockey (10-4, 5-2 Big Ten) rolled over No. 15 Northwestern (8-8, 3-4 Big Ten) with a 4-3 victory in Evanston.

Four different Nittany Lions scored in the game: Abby Myers, Bree Bednarski, Alexis Horst, and Mary Nell Smith. Penn State dominated the stat sheet with 15 shots and six penalty corners compared to Northwestern’s eight shots and five corners.

Northwestern entered the second half down by three goals, but came back to close its deficit to two. The Penn State defense held firm in the game’s final minutes to hang on for its 10th victory of the year.

Senior goalie Jenny Rizzo made three saves in the victory.

How It Happened

The game got off to a quick start with a shot by Madison Morano but the ball bounced off the post two minutes into play. Northwestern player Saar de Breij found a hole in the defense two minutes later and made the first goal of the game.

Gini Bramley took a shot at 14:38, but it was denied by Wildcat goalie Annie Kalfas. Abby Myers managed to pounce on the rebound and sent it to the back of the net, tying the game at 1. The goal was Myers’ fifth of the 2018 season.

Quickly after tying the game, Bramley took another shot at the top of the circle. Bree Bednarski saw the ball coming and tapped it in around the goalie, burying her second goal of the season to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead.

After the ball was sent into the air, Mary Nell Smith deflected it inside the circle and sent it to the backboard, giving the Nittany Lions a greater lead The goal marked Smith’s first tally of the season.

In the last seconds of the first half, Penn State earned a corner. Moria Putsch inserted the ball inside the circle and Alexis Horst had a close range rebound giving the Nittany Lions a 4-1 lead.

Northwestern’s Maren Seidel and Mackenzie Keegan each scored goals in the second half as part of the Wildcats’ comeback bid, but the Nittany Lion defense and goalie Jenny Rizzo held firm as Penn State earned its tenth win of the 2018 season.

Player Of The Game

Cori Conley| Senior | Defense

Conley is known for her speed and sneak attacks. She was the backbone of the defense for the full 70 minutes. She was a huge part of why Northwestern couldn’t complete its comeback from three goals down.

What’s Next

Penn State will complete its Big Ten schedule against Indiana at 6 p.m. Friday back at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.