No. 17 Penn State field hockey (8-9, 2-6 Big Ten) lost to No. 7 Maryland (12-5, 6-2 Big Ten) 4-2 in its regular season finale.

After fighting back from an early deficit, Maryland dominated the Nittany Lions in the third quarter. After going down by three goals, Penn State couldn’t regain the momentum it sustained at the end of the first half to work back into the game.

How It Happened

Maryland started the game off on the front foot after shutting down a Penn State attack in the first minute. The Terrapins worked their way up the near side of the field, ultimately missing the shot against Lauren Delgado. Maryland won two consecutive penalty corners. After missing the first shot, Maryland star Hope Rose slapped a shot towards the goal. A Nittany Lion deflected the initial shot, but Rose maneuvered around multiple Penn State defenders for another shot that Ella Gaitan redirected into the net. The Terrapins went up 1-0 within the first four minutes.

Rose registered another shot on goal on the third penalty corner of the first quarter. Penn State defender Julienne van Bekkum cleared the ball away from the circle. Two minutes later, Rose released another penalty corner shot from the top of the circle, but Delgado extended low to keep the deficit at one.

With six minutes left in the first quarter, Sophia Mannino led Penn State’s first attack in Maryland’s zone since the opening minute. Mannino muscled her way through four Terrapins at the edge of the circle, but Maryland ultimately intercepted the ball and stopped her progression.

Gery Schnarrs threaded a perfect ball into the circle to Drew Taylor, but Gaitan popped her way in front of Taylor, rejecting any chance of releasing a shot to close out the first quarter.

Penn State carried its momentum into the opening of the second quarter, feeding Taylor more balls in the box. Five minutes into the quarter, van Bekkum passed a penalty corner to Gladieux, who smoked the ball into the bottom left corner to level the score. The goal marked Gladieux’s 20th of the season.

Instant replay pic.twitter.com/aftnU5StnV

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) November 1, 2024

The Nittany Lions kept their foot on the gas for the next possession. Gladieux masterfully evaded multiple Terrapin defenders on the near side of the circle before finding Katelyn Strawser at the top of the box. Taylor poked a shot at Maryland keeper Alyssa Klebasko, but Klebasko saved it.

In the last 30 seconds of the half, Gladieux broke away and took on three Terrapin defenders. She fired a shot that narrowly missed the goal on the far post, keeping the score knotted at one each at the half.

Maryland scored 40 seconds into the third quarter. Kylee Niswonger sent the ball into the circle to Annemijn Klijnhout, who slid it under Delgado for the score.

The Terrapins extended their lead four minutes later with a Rose one-time shot into the top left corner. After an inspiring first half, the Nittany Lions fell early in the second. Fleur Knopert almost continued the rally to increase the Maryland lead to three, but a foul blew the play dead. After clearing the first penalty corner, Penn State committed another foul to gift Maryland a second one. The Terrapins continued their same strategy of shooting from the top of the box, but their shot missed the near post completely.

Maryland continued pummeling the Nittany Lion defense halfway through the third quarter. Constant attacks and shots in the circle required Penn State to scramble just to clear the ball away from danger.

Rose worked her way through Penn State’s defense, testing Delgado. Delgado saved Rose’s initial shot, but Rose collected her own rebound and sent her second shot to the roof of the net, putting Maryland up 4-1 with two minutes left in the third quarter.

Delgado saved two shots on Maryland’s first attack of the fourth quarter, both from Rose. Delgado showed quick reflexes on the ensuing penalty corner, jumping in front of and swatting away a high-deflected ball.

Taylor and Natalie Freeman linked up for Penn State’s first shot of the final period. Freeman slapped a shot off-balance, but Klebasko saved it comfortably. On the subsequent possession, Freeman tested Klebasko again with a stronger shot, but the keeper stopped it once more.

Throughout the rest of the fourth quarter, Freeman and Gladieux continued chipping at the Maryland defense. Mannino scored an impressive solo goal from the top of the circle with 53 seconds left in the game. However, it was too late. The Terrapins chewed the clock and passed the ball around to end the game and Penn State’s season.

Takeaways

• After regaining their footing late in the first half, the Nittany Lions completely derailed in the third quarter. Penn State conceded three goals in the penultimate period, which deflated the team’s momentum and created too big of a challenge to overcome.
• The referees rejected Penn State’s multiple penalty corners in the game. The Nittany Lions didn’t have the extra opportunities that penalty corners create, such as more shots on goal or the possibility of rebounds.
• Once again, Gladieux was the heart of the Nittany Lions. Natalie Freeman and Drew Taylor were also key to Penn State’s performance, but Gladieux’s play all season wasn’t matched by the remainder of the team to elevate the Nittany Lions to a playoff position.

What’s Next?

With the loss, the Nittany Lions are eliminated from clinching a spot in the Big Ten Tournament. After ending last season as the No. 4 seed in the conference, Penn State completely missed out on the postseason this year.