No. 16 Penn State field hockey (9-7, 4-4 Big Ten) defeated Indiana (5-13, 0-8 Big Ten) 2-0 in its final game of the regular season Friday.

The Nittany Lions started the game with a bang with a penalty stroke goal a minute into regulation and scored again less than a minute before halftime. The Hoosiers responded with a goal in the third quarter, however, Penn State tacked on an insurance goal in response.

How It Happened

It didn’t take long for the Nittany Lions to score in Bloomington. Penn State was awarded a penalty corner, and after a missed shot by Sophia Gladieux, a penalty by the Hoosiers awarded the Nittany Lions a penalty stroke. Mackenzie Allesie took the shot and smoked the attempt past Indiana goalie Arabella Loveridge for the first goal of the game.

STROKE GOAL BY MACK!!

(PSU 1, IU 0) pic.twitter.com/cwSgAUdbF9

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 27, 2023

After Allessoe’s goal, it was a back-and-forth quarter for both teams as Indiana and Penn State were awarded two penalty corners, however, neither converted.

The second quarter got underway, and the Hoosiers threatened multiple times throughout the period. Indiana had four shots on goal, but none of them slid past Brie Barraco.

With less than a minute to go before the half, Gladieux breezed her way through defenders to score her 19th goal of the season.

PHIA GOAL

(PSU 2, IU 0)#WeAre pic.twitter.com/HSKAmAQEID

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 27, 2023

In the second half, the Hoosiers, down two goals, finally answered the Nittany Lions with their first goal of the afternoon. Yip van Wonderen smoked a shot from the top of the circle past Barraco to make it 2-1.

Penn State responded with another goal before the quarter ended. After two failed corners, the third was successful this time from Drew Taylor. Gladieux’s shot was tipped in by Taylor to make it 3-1 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

CORNER GOAL OFF A DEFLECTION FOR #3

(PSU 3, IU 1)#WeAre pic.twitter.com/8BdFjKBXs5

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) October 27, 2023

With a two-goal lead, the Nittany Lions played keep-away defense in the fourth quarter and prevented the Hoosiers from scoring again, winning the game 3-1.

Takeaways

• Sophia Gladieux made her presence known yet again. In the final regular-season game, Gladieux scored her 19th goal of the season, putting her one goal away from her second consecutive 20-goal season. She has a chance to do it next week in the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten Tournament campaign.
• The game started off with a bang thanks to Mackenzie Allessie, who scored her eighth goal of the season on a penalty stroke a minute into the game.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will open the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, November 2, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The team’s opponent has yet to be determined.