Penn State field hockey (5-0) beat Delaware (2-4) 3-0 Sunday afternoon in Happy Valley.

Penn State’s offense shined through a defensive display for both teams. The Nittany Lions have now won five straight games to open their season.

How It Happened

There were no goals in the first quarter. With only one shot on goal for Penn State, the defensive effort was apparent on both sides of the field.

Delaware put itself in a great spot to score early in the second, but, fortunately for Penn State, the ball bounced right off the post. With only a few minutes left in the first half, Penn State struck first when Anna Simon scored on a corner attempt on an assist from Elena Vos and Mackenzie Allessie. As the first half came to an end, Penn State sat with a 1-0 lead.

Midway through the third quarter, Sophia Gladieux sniped a goal unassisted for a 2-0 Penn State lead. There were several scoring opportunities in the third quarter, but great goalie play and defense from the Blue Hens capped Penn State to the one goal from Gladieux.

The Nittany Lion offense was rolling in the fourth quarter extending the lead to 3-0 with a goal from Allessie. The control was one-sided for the rest of the game as Penn State kept the lead and its goal of continuing the undefeated season heading into conference play.

Takeaways

• Even with Penn State’s three goals in the game, the Blue Hens’ goalkeeping was spectacular. With eight saves in the game coming on 21 shots from Penn State it was a hats off performance for Delaware’s Lizzie Gaebel. Penn State goalkeeper Brie Barraco had a shutout with six saves on 11 shots.
• Anna Simon and Sophia Gladieux have been on an offensive tear lately. Simon, coming off of a two goal game in Friday’s victory, came right back Sunday with a goal to help keep this Penn State team undefeated. A fantastic goal came from Gladieux in the third quarter kept the momentum going for this team.
• The Nittany Lions’ offensive threat was a lot to handle for Delaware with 21 shots on goal. Only scoring three times on numerous chances it was a game of opportunity in Happy Valley for this Penn State team.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will travel to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins in their first Big Ten matchup on Saturday, September 18 at 1 p.m.