No. 16 Penn State field hockey (0-1) dropped its season opener 2-1 to No. 3 Virginia (1-0) at the newly revamped Penn State Field Hockey Complex.

After a quick opposition goal, Penn State managed to hang on through a sluggish first half before turning it on in the second. A flurry of penalty corners saw Sophia Gladieux tie the game up late in the third quarter. The score wouldn’t hold, though, as Virginia claimed the win with a late-game penalty corner goal that the Nittany Lions couldn’t answer in time.

How It Happened

Virginia didn’t take long to push play into a threatening area, lofting the ball forward at the first opportunity and causing chaos in the shooting circle. While the Nittany Lions were able to rebuff the first Cavalier advance, their next possession was decisive. Virginia poached a bouncing ball that slipped past the Penn State backline, leaving an open shooter alone in front of freshman goalkeeper Aby Deverka. She couldn’t do much to break up the play as Sloan Davidson coolly sent the ball into the cage, pushing the Cavaliers in front less than five minutes into the contest.

The Nittany Lions regrouped following the goal, taking time to possess the lion’s share of the ball through the quarter and prod the Virginia defense for weaknesses. Virginia sat deep in its end under pressure, though, denying any forward pass attempt by the blue and white. The Cavaliers managed another two shots on goal from quick counterattack opportunities, but Deverka was up to the challenge, stopping both to seal the first quarter 1-0 in Virginia’s favor.

Penn State came out quickly after the break, building another play into Virginia’s arc. With players darting back and forth, but no one slipping into open space, the Cavaliers swarmed the ball and dismissed the play effectively before returning to attack.

Virginia continued to pester the Nittany Lions with each subsequent possession. Three minutes into the second quarter, Dani Mendez-Trendler pushed deep into the shooting circle with a slick spin move and earned space to wind up and shoot. Deverka slammed the door shut on the shooter, though, sending the ball back with force on a cat-like kick save.

The Nittany Lions’ offensive woes continued into the waning moments of the first half as Virginia hawked down slow passes and kept the pressure on. Penn State’s defense held firm, but as Virginia committed more players to their rush, the Nittany Lions were forced to rely on heroic deflections to deny crosses to open shooters. Heroic deflections were made, nonetheless.

In the final minute of the half, Virginia almost doubled its lead as Cavalier attackers comfortably held play inside the arc, pulling and stretching the Penn State defense as it struggled to keep the bodies in front of the ball. The ice seemed to break as Mendez-Trendler hammered a low ball from deep, hitting the back of the net through traffic. The stadium stood on edge before collectively sighing in relief as the official waved the play off. After a kicked ball call, the goal wouldn’t stand, and the buzzer closed the half with a 1-0 lead for the Cavaliers.

After a short break, the sides switched goals and played on. Not much changed after halftime, though as Virginia continued its onslaught, earning two quick penalty corners. Penn State defended the first easily, but Drew Taylor took a hard shot to the chest while performing a selfless block on the second chance. She was able to jog to the bench and play continued.

Penn State was finally able to escape its half after a near seven-minute prolonged attack from the Cavaliers, pushing up the right wing through Aubrey Semler, but help wouldn’t join her on attack and the opportunity fizzled. The lack of backfilled pressure allowed Virginia to move the ball right back to Penn State’s doorstep.

After another four minutes of solid defense, Penn State broke out once more, this time to the left wing. The ball found Phia Gladieux in the shooting circle, where she’d wait for defenders to triple-cover her and force a penalty corner. Penn State hammered away from the arc, taking shot after shot and generating three further penalty corners as Virginia struggled to hang on.

As the pressure built and the stadium grew louder, Gladieux would be served the cross on the fourth corner. Virginia expected her to pass, but Gladieux smashed the ball goalward instead, beating senior Tyler Kennedy to the left to knot the game up at 1-1 with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter.

Penn State looked alive for the first time this tilt following the goal, the re-energized side bullying Virginia through midfield to close out the quarter.

Taking momentum into the final frame, the Nittany Lions looked to strike as Virginia back Emily Field earned a green card for her play in transition. Penn State slotted the ball to Semler around the penalty spot, but she was unable to get a shot off as the referees waved the play off. The Cavaliers returned to full strength without further fuss.

After some back-and-forth play, Penn State conceded their fifth penalty corner of the match with three minutes to play. Deverka kicked the first shot aside, but the ball was square on the stick of Virginia’s Caroline Nemec, who slotted the ball home to give the Cavaliers a late lead.

Penn State managed to win the ball in the final minute against a stalling Virginia midfield, pushing forward and earning a penalty corner with just 17.4 seconds to play. Penn State went back to Gladieux but was ultimately sent to safety. The final buzzer sounded, sealing the game 2-1 for Virginia.

Takeaways

• Deverka played well beyond her years in her college debut. The keeper managed 11 saves against one of the top offenses in the country.
• The Nittany Lions struggled to get much going on offense, only recording one shot on the tilt. Penn Sate just couldn’t possess the ball in the opponent’s half, a phase of the game it’ll work hard to right ahead of their next match up.
• Penn State knows how to take advantage of penalty corners. With multiple dangerous shooters and a variety of looks on display today, look for this part of the game to get even better for the Nittany Lions as the season progresses.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will continue their home stand with another ACC match-up this Sunday against Syracuse at noon on Sunday, August 31.