No. 19 Penn State Field Hockey (5-3, 1-0 Big Ten) bested Lafayette College (5-3, 1-1 Patriot League) with a 5-1 victory in a rainy intrastate bout.

After a tight first quarter, the Nittany Lions hung two goals on the Leopards by way of Morgan McMenamin and Phia Gladieux. The floodgates stayed open after halftime as Gladieux, Natalie Freeman, and Julienne Van Bekkum all tacked on goals of their own to put the game far out of reach.

How It Happened

As the opening whistle blew, Penn State immediately assumed a high press, trying to take advantage of its opponent’s mistakes on a rainy day. The Leopards showed that they played well under pressure, though, passing well and shaping up an evenly-matched first quarter.

Neither goalie saw action until the ninth minute of the quarter when Lafayette’s Lea Good found herself with space at the back post. Connecting with a lofted pass, Good tried to bat the ball home but her shot went just wide.

Lafayette would have another opportunity at the end of the quarter with a short corner before the buzzer. The feed went to Josephine van Wijk, but the Penn State wall crashed around her, forcing another shot to go off-target.

Penn State started the second quarter urgently, looking to right the ship and steal some momentum back from the Leopards. After some solid pressure through the first half of the frame, Lafayette seemed to rebuff the Nittany Lion advance, but a Gerry Schnarrs long ball caught the Leopards on their back foot. Morgan McMenamin corralled the pass, taking her defender to the near post before spinning back and hooking the ball at the net. The goalie, screened by her defender, had no chance to stop the shot as it crossed the goal line to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead with just under seven minutes left in the half.

FIRST GOAL OF THE GAME pic.twitter.com/q43o05ccyh

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) September 29, 2024

Penn State looked to double down before halftime on a short corner, going the usual route to the goal and dialing up a shot for Gladieux. She received the ball from Natalie Freeman, hacking the ball forward. The first shot was deflected back to her, but a backhand second chance would find paydirt, sending the Nittany Lions into the locker room with a 2-0 lead.

PHIA GOAL REPLAY pic.twitter.com/5Hggo9wiqG

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) September 29, 2024

The Nittany Lions kept the party going to start the third quarter, working the ball forward quickly to Katelyn Strawser. She sent the play across the crease where Lafayette seemed to have space to clear it, but Freeman had other plans. She sprawled out and poked the ball on, tucking away a third straight Penn State goal.

pic.twitter.com/uD4XOGu0DP

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) September 29, 2024

Lafayette tried desperately to get back into the game, earning four straight short corners as the quarter wound down, but Penn State’s defense wouldn’t budge as they denied each opportunity to reach the fourth quarter with a 3-0 lead.

The Nittany Lions gave starter Aby Deverka a rest after a six-save, three-quarter shutout, giving the nod to graduate transfer Lauren Delgado to finish the job.

Penn State continued the downpour of goals, going to Gladieux again on yet another short corner. Her shot was off the mark, but a deflection off of a Leopard defender’s stick sent the ball to the top shelf. After a video review, the goal would stand.

pic.twitter.com/C5ABWALvpH

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) September 29, 2024

Just a minute later, the Nittany Lions got another opportunity from the short corner spot, this time finding a wide-open Julienne Van Bekkum. She batted home goal number five, putting the game far out of reach as the rain continued to pour down.

Van Bekkum Goal Replay #WeAre pic.twitter.com/h25pDFE5pp

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) September 29, 2024

Lafayette managed to score a goal for pride as the game wound down as Lineke Spaans fed Emma Maher at the center of the shooting circle. Penn State’s lead was insurmountable though as the Leopards continued to plug away on offense in the final minutes to no avail. The game would expire with a 5-1 score for the Nittany Lions.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions spread the love today with four different scorers. Gladieux continued to lead the squad with two goals, but help from Van Bekkum, McMenamin, and Freeman was more than welcome en route to a big win. If this flexible offense continues into Big Ten play, this team is going to be dangerous.
• Penn State seemed at home in the rain. While the Leopards looked to struggle with accurate passes and beating players off the dribble on the slicker turf, the Nittany Lions seemed unfazed.
• Penn State is great at the short corner, grabbing three goals on four set pieces today. It also defended the penalty extremely well, denying all nine opportunities Lafayette had.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will head to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes, kicking off a four-game road trip with a 6 p.m. start on Friday, October 4.