Penn State field hockey (1-1) defeated Lock Haven (1-1) 8-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.

After a tightly-contested first half, the Nittany Lions scored five goals in the third quarter, giving Hannah Prince her first win as Penn State’s head coach.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions controlled possession early, with Ella Gaitan just missing an opportunity for a tap-in during the opening minutes.

Despite struggling to get out of their own zone, the Bald Eagle defense did a good job stifling the Nittany Lions’ chances. Gaitan registered the first shot of the game on a penalty corner, but Quinty van Luijk was there to make the save.

Lock Haven’s first real opportunity of the game came on a penalty corner with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. The Nittany Lions showed strong defense to keep the Bald Eagles off the board.

Natalie Freeman, Chloe D’Hage, and Joji Purdy each took a shot as the quarter neared its close, with all being saved by van Luijk to survive the onslaught and keep the game scoreless through one.

A strong offensive push by the Nittany Lions began the second quarter, with Olivia Marthins being the one to finally sneak one past van Luijk and make it 1-0.

A Lock Haven penalty corner soon followed the goal, with Aby Deverka making a solid save to preserve the Penn State lead.

The Lock Haven keeper continued her strong first half on a counterattack by the Nittany Lions, making back-to-back saves on a penalty corner to keep her team within striking distance.

Penn State kept up the pressure for the rest of the quarter, leading to Lock Haven’s Maggie Moylan receiving a yellow card late in the second, which bled into the second half.

A green card was assessed to Lock Haven’s Rylee Wassmer to begin the second half. Despite being up two players, the Nittany Lions were unable to mount much on offense, and Wassmer returned to play.

While still up a player, Sienna Dunn extended the Nittany Lion lead with a penalty stroke goal, following a Loch Haven foul and a penalty corner.

The game really opened up after Dunn’s goal, with smooth passing leading to a D’Hage tap-in to a wide-open net, making it 3-0 Penn State. The two goals were just 21 seconds apart.

Moylan was released soon after both goals as the game returned to even strength.

With just over five minutes left in the third, a far shot from Lilly Holmes found its way right in front of the Lock Haven net, where it was deflected into the net by Hope Russo, giving the Nittany Lions a 4-0 lead.

Purdy made it 5-0 and 6-0 with two goals on penalty corners just under two minutes apart to close out a dominant third quarter by Penn State.

In the opening seconds of the fourth, Freeman fired one in the top right corner of the goal, making it 7-0.

Penn State scored on another penalty corner with just over six minutes left to play, with Gaitan netting her second of the season.

Sophie Owens took over goaltender duties for Lock Haven in the final five minutes, making two saves before the clock expired. Penn State wrapped up its 8-0 win.

Takeaways

• Penn State completely dominated offensively, outshooting the Bald Eagles 32-6.
• Despite seeing limited action in front of her, Aby Deverka made a couple of nice saves in the shutout effort.
• A five-goal third quarter broke open what was a tight contest through the first half.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will continue their home stand to begin the year when they take on Villanova at 3 p.m. on Friday, September 4, at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Folks can follow along on Big Ten Plus.