No. 12 Penn State Field Hockey (4-3, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to No. 10 Rutgers (7-0, 1-0 Big Ten) 1-0 in double overtime in conference opener. It was a defensive matchup between the two teams and an excellent goalkeeper standoff between Brie Barraco and Sophia Howard.

After over 70 minutes of scoreless play, Rutgers netted the winner in double overtime.

How It Happened

It was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams for the first 15 minutes, and while neither found the back of the net, both Rutgers and Penn State came close. Both teams had their opportunities to score as the Nittany Lions had three consecutive penalty corners but were unsuccessful on all, and Rutgers had a near miss on a corner toward the end of the quarter.

The second quarter was much of the same scoreless play. The defensive matchup continued as both teams combined for only five shots and no penalty corners throughout the quarter.

The second half began and, once again, it was a dogfight between both teams to try and get one goal scored. Penn State had two corners, but both shots by Mackenzie Allessie were defended by great saves by Rutgers keeper Sophia Howard.

Heading into the final 15, Rutgers got an early corner but was stopped by Brie Barraco with her fourth save of the game. With less than five minutes in the game, Penn State was awarded its seventh corner of the day. Allessie set up Sophia Gladieux for a shot and she smoked one into the back of the net, however, the goal was called too high and was recalled.

With a minute to in the game, Rutgers attacked but Barracco stopped the Scarlet Knights with a fantastic save. Penn State held on to keep the game tied at the end of regulation.

In overtime, Rutgers and Penn State both had early corner shots that were unsuccessful. Both teams continued to battle, however, neither team could put one in the net at the end of the first overtime period.

Double overtime began and a winner was finally determined. Two minutes into the period, Guillerm Causarano scored the first and only goal of the game to win it for Rutgers 1-0.

Takeaways

• It was a matchup between goaltenders in this contest between Brie Barraco and Sophia Howard going save-for-save. Barraco saved six shots and made play after play to keep the Nittany Lions in this matchup.
• Overtime was needed to decide a winner in this one, with the offense for both teams being very quiet for the first 70 minutes of the game.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions remain at home to take on Bucknell in a non-conference matchup at noon on Sunday, September 17, at the Field Hockey Complex. The game can be streamed on BTN+.