No. 3 Penn State field hockey (15-2, 7-1 Big Ten) defeated No. 21 Rutgers (7-9, 3-5 Big Ten) to win a share of the regular-season 2022 Big Ten Championship.

After upsetting No. 2 Maryland last weekend, all Penn State had to do today was win its regular-season finale against the Scarlet Knights, and the Nittany Lions did just that. This is their first win against Rutgers since 2019.

Anna Simon opened the scoring early, and second-half goals by Simon again and Jemma Punch gave Penn State the win.

How It Happened

Despite no scoring from either team in the first quarter, the first 15 minutes were dominated by the Nittany Lions. They put the pressure on Rutgers right from the jump, getting a penalty corner in the first minute of action, along with two others in the first quarter. Rutgers was able to prevent the offensive pushes and keep the score at 0-0 after one.

At the start of the second quarter, Anna Simon received a green card, putting Penn State a player down for two minutes. The Nittany Lions were able to hold on and get another penalty corner. A great pass and setup by Mackenzie Allessie and Elena Vos set up Simon, fresh back in the game, for the first goal.

ANNA SIMON GOAL REPLAY pic.twitter.com/tX0FzCEA0z

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 28, 2022

After keeping control after the goal, Rutgers finally got its offense going with Rachel Houston scoring a goal to tie it up at one. However, after an umpire review, the goal was reversed due to a violation, keeping the score 1-0. Not even a minute later, Houston responded to the reversal with a no-doubt shot that was smoked into the back of the net, tying the game. After two quarters, the game was tied at 1-1

The second half didn’t start the way the Nittany Lions hoped, as they spent the majority of the first eight minutes back in their own zone. Rutgers’ offense was looking good, and it had many opportunities to take the lead, including its first penalty corner of the game. It was unsuccessful thanks to a great save by Brie Barraco.

At the 38-minute mark, Penn State finally had its first real offensive push and was able to capitalize. Simon scored her second goal of the game to take a 2-1 lead.

Nittany Lion goal by Anna Simon pic.twitter.com/L9enhRSOHa

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 28, 2022

The score remained the same until a minute into the fourth quarter as another penalty corner set up another Penn State goal. This time, however, it was Punch who smoked one into the net, extending the lead to 3-1 for the Nittany Lions.

Instant Replay Jemma Punch Goal!!! pic.twitter.com/OsI8aBbvKX

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 28, 2022

The offensive attack continued as it seemed like the ball didn’t leave Penn State’s possession until the last few minutes of the game. Sophia Gladieux had a beautiful backhanded shot that hit the top of the crossbar, just missing the goal.

With just about two minutes to go, Rutgers pulled its goalie, bringing an extra player on the field. Guillermina Causarano was able to score with 13 seconds left. However, another violation occurred, taking the goal off the board and ending the game with Penn State up 3-1.

Takeaways

• It was Simon who was the MVP today, as she scored the first two goals for Penn State, bringing her season total to eight. She’s been huge down the stretch, scoring six goals over her last six games.
• Despite giving up the tying goal, Barraco had a great game, totaling six saves — two of which came during a big third-quarter push by Rutgers. She finishes the season allowing just 19 goals in 17 games.
• Punch scored her seventh goal on the season, which is the most she’s had in her four seasons with the Nittany Lions.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will enter next week’s Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament as the No. 1 seed. They will get a bye for the first round and play the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game in the semifinals at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, November 4.