Penn State field hockey (6-6, 1-3 Big Ten) fell to Ohio State (10-1-1, 2-1 Big Ten) on Friday afternoon in Ohio.

Despite a strong first half from Penn State, Ohio State found holes in the defense and took over the game. Once the score started racking up, the Nittany Lions could not find the momentum to fight back.

How It Happened

The game started in an evenly matched contest, with both teams sharing possession and neither able to control it for long enough to get a shot off.

Both teams played aggressively, with no one getting an edge until Penn State won a corner with just under three minutes to play in the first quarter. Morgan McMenamin sent in the corner with Sophia Gladieux receiving it, spinning her back against the defender and attempting to chop in a backhanded shot but Ohio State stopped it for another corner.

Gladieux received the corner from McMenamin again, having time to set up a shot but it flew inches wide.

The first quarter ended scoreless, with only two shots on goal, both stemming from the Nittany Lions’ corners.

The Buckeyes won a penalty corner of their own three minutes into the second quarter. Erin Little sent it in for Cameryn Forgash but her teammate’s stick accidentally got in the way and deflected the shot wide, giving the ball back to the Nittany Lions.

Penn State stayed strong against Ohio State, not looking like the lesser-ranked team. It never let Ohio State get an edge and continued to intercept passes in the midfield.

MaKenna Webster had a breakaway for Ohio State, spinning and dodging back the defense, breaking into the circle, and getting a wide shot off.

The Buckeyes immediately had another big chance sending the ball through the circle to an attacker waiting at the post but got called for a foul.

In the final minute of the half, the Buckeyes cut through Penn State’s defense, with Webster getting off a shot high in the air blocked by Penn State goalie Aby Deverka. The first half ended still scoreless, 0-0.

The teams returned to the field for the second half, with Penn State taking off downfield first.

The Buckeyes drew first blood in the game, finally finding its breakthrough goal at the start of the quarter. They sent the ball into the circle through Penn State’s defense and Deveraka made a sliding save, but Webster was there to fight for the ball and sweep it in for the 1-0 lead.

Gladieux quickly got off another chance for Penn State, forcing a big save from Ohio State goalie Abby Danson. Penn State won a slew of corners after the save, struggling to convert. Ohio State was able to clear the ball and sprint downfield on a counter.

Hallie Brost cut through Penn State’s defense, sprinting past them all and setting up a strong shot from the top of the circle to give Ohio State the 2-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

The Nittany Lions didn’t let the second goal stop their aggression, coming straight back to win a corner but they gave away a penalty in the circle and could not get a shot off.

Ohio State was able to just run away with possession and continue to grow its lead. It received a green card and went down a player, but was still able to cut through the circle and chop a shot into the near corner to go up by three.

Despite Penn State’s best efforts and strong play, it couldn’t truly fight back in the 15 minutes to find a goal of its own, and the third quarter ended 3-0.

The fourth quarter began with the Buckeyes on offense. Each time Penn State tried to work its way onto offense, its passes went out or were intercepted as it scrambled, trying to find a comeback.

It took almost seven minutes to see the first shot of the quarter, with Olivia Wallac shooting wide for Ohio State. It stayed on the offensive, winning two quick corners, and getting off two shots.

The Nittany Lions cleared with just under five minutes to play, fighting as hard and aggressively as they could. They stayed on the edge of the circle but couldn’t truly break in and were called for a foul, switching back to defense.

The last minutes of the game were a back-and-forth scramble with Penn State attempting long passes that were intercepted by Ohio State, and then winning the ball back on defense to try again.

A penalty stroke was called for the Buckeyes with just over one minute left after a Penn State defender brought in her stick from behind, blocking the shot. Webster stepped up for the stroke, sending it right into the top right corner to secure a 4-0 win for Ohio State.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions had a strong first half against the No. 4 team, allowing only three shots and giving away one corner. Most of their offensive chances came during the first quarter where they had two shots and corners, both from Gladieux but were inches wide each time.
• Once Ohio State came back from halftime, it showed why it’s such a good team and took over the game. Spearheaded by Webster, it scored three goals in quick succession that simply had more accuracy than Penn State.
• Despite the scoreline, Penn State did not have a bad game. It got off 11 shots overall, but only two were on goal compared to Ohio State’s eight. Penn State needs to work on finishing in the final third and not having to rely on Gladieux as much to save the team.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay in Ohio to take on Ohio University. The game will take place at noon on Sunday, October 13. Folks can watch the game on ESPN+.