No. 17 Penn State field hockey (6-5, 1-2 Big Ten) was defeated 7-2 by No. 2 Northwestern (12-0, 5-0 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions’ slump continued after their loss in Iowa on Friday. With Northwestern opening aggressively right from the opening whistle, Penn State found itself in a hole that grew deeper for the entire game.

How It Happened

Northwestern started definitively on offense, drawing a penalty corner within the first few minutes of the game. Penn State goalkeeper Aby Deverka adequately blocked the shot, keeping the momentum for the Nittany Lions defense. Deverka had another great save not too long after, but Northwestern continued to dominate possession of the ball for the first few minutes.

Penn State soon had its first deep offensive drive, with Drew Taylor moving the ball downfield. Penn State came up empty but maintained offensive possession. Taylor had a great pass to Sophia Gladieux, and Penn State was able to draw a penalty corner, which ultimately was unsuccessful.

The Wildcats moved the ball downfield later in the first quarter, and Chloe Relford scored the first goal of the game, making it 1-0 in favor of Northwestern. The Wildcats found the goal again not long after, with a goal from Maddie Zimmer on a penalty corner.

Immediately after, Northwestern scored again with a goal from midfielder Lauren Wadas. Wadas then scored again in back-to-back goals after recovering the ball. The scoring stood at 4-0 in favor of Northwestern as the first quarter came to a close.

Penn State opened on offense to start the second quarter, but its drive came up empty. Both teams traded possessions during the quarter, but ultimately, there was no scoring throughout the remainder of the quarter.

Northwestern opened right from the starting whistle for the second half, scoring within a minute in the second half. Down 5-0, Gladieux took matters into her own hands and immediately scored right after the Wildcats goal.

Deverka had another great save later in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions began to find their stride as the quarter kept going, maintaining possession more and making smart passing decisions. Northwestern was awarded another penalty corner that was unsuccessful as the Penn State defense stepped up and kept the Wildcats out of the goal. The scoring remained quiet for both teams as the fourth quarter began.

Northwestern added to its lead with its sixth goal of the game with about 11 minutes left to play. Immediately after scoring, the Wildcats regained possession and scored again to make it 7-1.

Gladieux scored her second goal of the game as the final quarter was winding down. Neither team found the net again as the game closed 7-2 with a Northwestern win.

Takeaways

• Penn State found themselves in a deep hole right in the first quarter. Northwestern maintained offensive possession all throughout the start of the game, with the Nittany Lions barely getting a chance to move the ball downturf.
• Northwestern dominated on both sides of the ball. It just seemed that it were more in control in comparison to the Nittany Lions, and Penn State wasn’t able to get the Wildcats on their heels at any point throughout the game.
• Gladieux continued to be the bright spot for the Nittany Lions. With scoring both goals of the game for Penn State, it will be interesting to see how she does against the Buckeyes.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions travel to Colombus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 11. The game can be streamed on BTN+.