No. 5 Penn State field hockey (11-2, 5-1) snuck past Lafayette (4-10) 2-1 on Sunday afternoon in Happy Valley.

It was Sophia Gladieux again for the Nittany Lions as she put one in between the pipes in the second overtime to grant Penn State the win. Anna Simon scored the other goal for Penn State in the first three minutes of the match.

How It Happened

Penn State started off hot as Simon put one through the pipes just two minutes into the game off a corner attempt. Elena Vos found Mackenzie Allessie who set Simon up for her fourth goal of the season.

The Leopards had a chance to tie this game around the seven-minute mark when Felicitas Hannes rocketed a shot outside the arc, but was deflected off Penn State’s sticks and out of play.

Two minutes later, the Nittany Lions were awarded another corner but did not find the same success as the first as Simon’s shot banged off the post, and Vos’ shot off the rebound went just wide of the right post and out of bounds. At the three-minute mark, Penn State had another chance to extend the lead, but Sophia Gladieux’s shot on net was saved by a stretched-out Emma Garvey.

As the first period came to a close, the Nittany Lions controlled possession but were unable to break through a stout Lafayette defense.

The Leopards held possession to start the second period until Allessie jumped on a pass and took the ball all the way into Lafayette’s circle before forcing a penalty corner. Allessie sent the ball to Gladieux, but her shot was blocked on a great save from Garvey.

Midway through the second quarter, the Leopards tied this game up as Molly McAndrew sent one over Barraco’s pad off her own rebound. That goal is McAndrew’s fourth one of the season.

For the rest of the second period, both teams battled for possession, but neither were able to get the ball into enemy territory. When the half buzzer sounded, the game remained knotted at one, but Penn State controlled the shot total, eight to three.

Penn State had the first opportunity of the second half after a corner attempt three minutes into the period. Allessie found Simon who had her shot blocked, and then Meghan Reese collected the rebound and zipped one just wide of the left post. Moments later, Allessie and Simon both had chances, but Garvey was able to make use of her pads and blocked both.

At the six-minute mark of the third period, the Nittany Lions had their sixth corner of the game but were unable to make use of it as Garvey kicked away Gladieux’s shot attempt. Three minutes later, Gladieux zoomed another shot on goal, but Garvey continued her impressive outing with another save.

The third buzzer sounded, but the score didn’t change. Penn State continued to dominate the shots as they went into the final period outshooting the Leopards, 14 to three.

The first piece of action in the final period didn’t come until Gladieux sailed a shot over the Leopards’ cage at the five-minute mark.

Lafayette put on a final-minute push, but the Nittany Lions were able to hold them as they forced this game into overtime.

Jemma Punch had the first chance to score four minutes into the overtime period, but her shot deflected off Gladieux and out of play.

Two minutes later, the Nittany Lions were awarded a corner, but Allessie’s shot was blocked. Simon was able to collect the rebound, but her shot hit the outside of the cage and out of play.

Lineke Spaans was able to get a shot off for Lafayette with 30 seconds left, but Barraco was able to kick it away to force another overtime period.

Penn State dominated much of the early part of the second overtime, but the Leopards were able to sneak one past Barraco. McAndrew thought the goal counted, but the ref ruled the ball out of bounds.

Moments later, the Nittany Lions marched down the field where Gladieux struck gold again as she put one in between the pipes to escape with a win.

Takeaways

• Emma Garvey played a great game today. She faced 18 total shots and batted away four of them.

• Penn State dominated offensively today. The team finished with 18 shots, seven corners, and controlled possession throughout the game. Defensively, it held Lafayette to just five shots and didn’t allow a single corner.

• The Sunday scaries almost got to the Nittany Lions. Sophia Gladieux was able to pull another miracle this afternoon to escape from Lafayette. However, if McAndrew’s goal would have counted, it would have been a bad loss for the No. 5 team in the country.

What’s Next

Penn State will travel to Lewisburg for a match against Bucknell on Friday, October 14, at 6 p.m.