Backed by the largest crowd of the season, No. 16 Penn State women’s field hockey (6-5, 1-2 Big Ten) clinched a 2-1 victory over No. 7 Ohio State (11-3, 4-2 Big Ten) Friday evening.

Despite a late-game goal from the Buckeyes, Sophia Gladieux and Mackenzie Allessie created enough of a lead to keep their opponent at bay and secure the Nittany Lions’ first conference victory of the season.

How It Happened

The Buckeyes dominated possession of the ball throughout the majority of the first quarter. With four shots on goal and one corner, the ball stayed primarily on the Ohio State offensive end.

On trend with the rest of the season thus far, the Nittany Lions entered the second quarter scoreless. Penn State was unable to keep hold of the ball due to the constant, efficient coverage from the Ohio State defense.

With only a few more touches secured in the second quarter, both teams moved into halftime 0-0. Penn State finally got its first corner of the game, accompanied by a shot on goal. The Buckeyes racked up two more shots this quarter, both of which were saved by Brie Barraco.

Early on in the third quarter, Ohio State’s Brenna Bough had a wide open miss on goal. Both teams had multiple shot attempts with little success on cage.

Late in the third quarter, Sophia Gladieux put one on the board for Penn State. Assisted by Mackenzie Alessie, this signature backhanded goal registered as Gladieux’s second shot of the game and 13th goal of the season.

AND PHIA SCORES

(PSU 1, OSU 0)#WeAre pic.twitter.com/eVSqEUn86U

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 6, 2023

The Nittany Lions held off Ohio State for the rest of the third quarter, giving them a 1-0 lead as they moved into the last 15 minutes of play.

Early on in the fourth quarter, Penn State failed to produce on two back-to-back corner attempts. Luckily, the Penn State defense was on full lockdown, stopping all momentum from the Ohio State offense. Ella Jennes had an epic transition play up the field to keep the ball out of the Penn State defensive end.

After a few more corner attempts, Allessie slammed the ball to the back of the net, bringing the lead to 2-0 for the Nittany Lions. Allessie’s goal was assisted by Gladieux and rolled in as her sixth goal of the season.

MACK STRIKES ON A CORNER SHOT

(PSU 2, OSU 0) #WeAre pic.twitter.com/HovHz3Lcyt

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 6, 2023

Both teams obtained penalty corners in the last minute of the game, with no scoring success for either. Penn State continued to hold off Ohio State for the remaining seconds of the game.

After a tense, exciting fourth quarter, Penn State walked away with a 2-1 victory over Ohio State.

Takeaways

• Today’s win marked Penn State’s first conference win of the season. With alumni in the stands and a rival matchup, this momentum was just what Penn State needed moving into the remainder of Big Ten play and the rest of the season.
• This was truly a back-and-forth game, with the majority of the action taking place in the second half of the game. Penn State played a fantastic game of keep away in the fourth quarter.
• With little possession in the first half, many fans may not have expected a win coming out of today’s matchup. Luckily, the team carried a fresh energy into the second half and dominated the rest of the game.
• Sophia Gladieux remains a dominant force for this Penn State team. With her 13th goal of the season, and certainly not her last, Gladieux continues to lead through wins and losses.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to Michigan next weekend for two Big Ten road matchups. It’ll face Michigan State at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 13, and then will head over to Ann Arbor to compete against Michigan at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 15.