Penn State field hockey (7-8, 2-5 Big Ten) fell to No. 5 Princeton (11-3, 5-1 Ivy League) 6-1 on Sunday afternoon, following a massive 8-0 win over Lock Haven on Friday.

The first quarter began very back and forth, but Princeton dominated the chances, with three shots in the first five minutes.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions were able to get one shot on net in the first quarter, but Princeton dominated the scoring opportunities. Penn State was able to keep the Tigers’ chances at bay, and the first quarter ended in a 0-0 tie.

The second quarter began with another shot from Princeton, but Penn State was able to block it in front. Five minutes in, Penn State’s Madison Britton received a green card, giving the Tigers a man advantage. A minute later, Princeton capitalized on the advantage when the ball trickled around in front of the Nittany Lions’ goaltender, Aby Deverka, and Caitlin Thompson was able to punch it in to give Princeton the lead.

Penn State struggled to bounce back after Princeton’s goal and took a few costly fouls in their offensive zone, which limited their scoring chances. The Tigers received a corner with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, but the Nittany Lions were able to block their shot before it reached Deverka. The lone dangerous opportunity by the Nittany Lions was stopped after a defensive play by Princeton’s Ella Cashman, who was able to jab the ball away from Aubrey Semler before she could get a shot off. Princeton dominated possession, keeping its lead at 1-0 to end the second quarter.

Princeton began the third quarter with some more dangerous scoring opportunities in the first five minutes, but Penn State was able to hold them off for the time being. Princeton drew a corner with 11 minutes remaining in the third. The Tigers’ Lindsay Pru took the corner, but Deverka was able to make the stop, and Princeton was able to draw another penalty corner off the play. Pru took the corner once again, and this time, the Tigers were able to capitalize when a shot from Beth Yeager deflected off a Nittany Lion and rolled past Deverka. Princeton took the lead 2-0.

Penn State’s Laura Pyle received a yellow card with ten minutes remaining after tripping up a Tigers player. Princeton pressed the Nittany Lions hard and had a dangerous scoring opportunity immediately after the yellow on Pyle, but the play was blown down for a foul on the Tigers.

Princeton received another penalty corner after a long review determined the ball had deflected off a Nittany Lions stick. Penn State fought off the corner try after a clear from Deverka.

A minute later, Princeton received another penalty corner from Lily Wojcik, and Yeager’s shot was tipped by freshman Tabby Vaughan, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead over the Nittany Lions with five minutes and 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Another goal off a penalty corner from Clem Houlden put the Tigers up 4-0 with four minutes remaining in the quarter.

Princeton completely dominated possession for the remainder of the third quarter and received yet another penalty corner with two minutes and 54 seconds remaining. Ottilie Sykes was able to shoot the ball past Deverka for the 5-0 lead.

The Tigers capitalized almost immediately in the fourth quarter, with Princeton’s Izzy Morgan’s blast from the far side getting past Deverka, giving Princeton a 6-0 lead just over a minute into the final quarter.

Penn State was able to hold off Princeton’s relentless attack with a few saves from Deverka in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. With ten minutes and 45 seconds remaining in the game, Penn State’s Joji Purdy was finally able to add the Nittany Lions’ lone goal off a long run and a reverse shot.

Princeton responded with some high pressure on the Nittany Lions, but was unable to extend their lead. Penn State received multiple corners in the final minutes, but was also not able to add any more tallies.

The Nittany Lions fell 6-1 in a game that was completely dominated by Princeton’s offense, which was able to capitalize on four penalty corners.

Takeaways

• Penn State was dominated heavily in shots, with 21 shots for the Tigers to just seven by Penn State.
• Princeton received 11 penalty corners, while Penn State only drew four and was unable to capitalize on any.
• Penn State freshman Joji Purdy scored her sixth goal of the season this afternoon.

What’s Next?

Penn State field hockey will take on Rutgers at 5 pm on Friday, October 31st, in its last home game of the season.