No. 5 Penn State field hockey (2-2) took down Stanford (0-3) 5-1 in its final road non-conference game of the season for the Nittany Lions. It was a dominant offense performance for Penn State, whose five goals were a season-high through four games.

The Nittany Lions got off to a hot start scoring early but gave up the tying goal just before halftime. In the second half, however, Penn State came out firing with back-to-back-to-back goals in just over three minutes of action. A goal midway into the fourth quarter rounded off an impressive offensive performance against the Cardinal.

How It Happened

It didn’t take long for the Nittany Lions to get on the board in this contest. Five minutes into the first quarter Sophia Gladieux’s blocked shot on goal was followed up by a great shot and goal by Carly Gannon for her first goal of the 2023 season.

The remainder of the first quarter was dominated by Penn State who had nine shots and four penalty corners compared to Stanford’s one shot and zero corners.

Penn State continued its control over Stanford into the second quarter dominating time of possession and not allowing them to get a shot off until the final two minutes of the quarter. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, that one shot found its way past Brie Barraco.

Esther Pottebaum set up Gemma Townsend for a beautiful goal for Stanford, tying the game at one heading into the second half.

After the first thirty minutes of the game, Penn State kicked into high gear right away. Just over a minute into the third quarter, Gladieux found herself one-on-one with Stanford goalie Daisy Ford, and the senior forward continued her strong start to the year with her fourth goal of the season.

With the lead back in hand, the Nittany Lions and Gannon weren’t done, as she scored her second goal of the afternoon off of another blocked Gladieux shot for a 3-1 Penn State lead.

Gladieux wanted more with a two-goal lead and notched her second goal of the game with a scorcher past Ford.

Up 4-1, the offense didn’t take its foot off the gas as in the fourth quarter Drew Taylor joined in on the fun scoring her first goal of 2023 and the first of her collegiate career. The goal was assisted by Gannon which was the fourth point recorded on the day for the forward. Taylor’s goal closed out the game as Penn State cruised to a 5-1 win.

Takeaways

• Gannon has shown up in 2023. After not recording a point in any of the first three games of the year, the senior from Havertown recorded her first points of the year with two goals and two assists. This is the first four-point game in the career for Gannon and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
• Gladieux’s performance featured her second multi-score game in a row. The stellar play by the senior only helped Penn State as it prepares for the start of Big Ten Play.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will make their home debut against Kent State at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 8.