No. 6 Penn State field hockey (8-1, 3-0 Big Ten) took down No. 23 Ohio State (3-5, 0-3 Big Ten) 2-0 Sunday afternoon. After a difficult first half for the Nittany Lions, late goals from Mackenzie Allessie and Jenna Punch earned the win.

Penn State has now won seven consecutive games and remains undefeated in conference play, but faces its toughest test yet against No. 1 Northwestern next week.

How It Happened

While both teams played aggressively from the start of the match, Penn State had a definite upper hand. The Nittany Lions worked the ball into the shooting circle frequently, but could not generate any shots that challenged Ohio State’s goalie Abby Danson.

Neither team was able to find the back of the goal in the first quarter, and the second quarter was no different. Both teams were more productive in their attacking ends of the pitch, but for the first time this season, Penn State couldn’t find a goal in the first half.

The Nittany Lions came out firing in the third quarter, but they still weren’t able to score for most of the period. Finally, the team got on the board with a recycled penalty corner goal from Allessie with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter.

On the other side of the field, Ohio State wasn’t able to generate much of an attacking threat. Penn State’s defense, helped by Elena Vos, shut down any Buckeye chances and cleared the ball into the attacking half.

Penn State sealed the deal late in the fourth quarter. After the Buckeyes pulled Danson with five minutes remaining, Jemma Punch scored a simple goal with two minutes remaining to guarantee a win.

Takeaways

• Penn State needed more offensive production to start the game. In past matches, the team would score the first goal and then run away with the rest of the game. Against Ohio State, the lack of any first-half scoring set the team back and opened up the game for the visitors.
• Defense, defense, defense. Penn State has recorded three straight shutouts after failing to record one in the opening six games. While the offense had its woes today, Barraco and her crew stood tall.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions head to the midwest next week for two road games. They face No. 1 Northwestern on Friday, September 30, at 4 p.m. and Indiana on Sunday, October 1, at 11 a.m.