Kent State, Ohio- Fall has clearly arrived as the 4th ranked Penn State University Field Hockey team squared off against host Kent State at Murphy-Mellis Field, surrounded by the beautiful color-changing trees. A vast crowd from both teams came out to support their teams and in a very tough battle Penn State came out victorious with a big 3-0 win.
Penn State put lots of offensive pressure on right away from the onset earning penalty corners 44 seconds in and then 5 seconds later another one. Both shots on goal were blocked but the offense clicked very fast as Junior Phia Gladieux scored on an assist from Mackenzie Allessie just 2 minutes in to take the early lead.
Kent State was able to keep Penn State from adding to its lead as goalkeeper Cecile Van Eijck made a number of outstanding saves as Penn State held the ball in the Kent State circle for much of the period. The Nittany Lions led 1-0 after the first 15:00 of play.
The Nittany Lions struck early again in the second quarter and doubled their lead as they forced their fifth penalty corner less than 2:00 in. Senior Anna Simon blasted a shot into the back of the net off an assist from Elena Vos. Penn State controlled the midfield once again in the second and kept constant pressure on Kent State’s defense but Kent State did a great job keeping the score close.
Kent State was able to get off some good shots off Penn State goalkeeper Brie Barraco who came up big time and time again. Kent State was able to move the ball down into the Penn State circle late in the half and forced Barraco into two quick saves before being awarded a penalty corner with 1:47 on the clock. Barraco made a stellar save on the Soler Cambra shot off the set to keep Kent State off the scoreboard.
Penn State took a 2-0 lead into the half and had outshot Kent State 16-4 in the first half and had a 4-2 edge in corners. Barraco had four saves while Van Eijck had eight.
In the third Kent State made several great adjustments to keep the game still within reach and both teams exchanged several good shots off of many opportunities.
In the fourth, both teams turned up the heat but Barraco kept Kent State off the board with her solid play in the net. Penn State forced a penalty corner at the 10:33 mark of the fourth and was able to capitalize on it. The Nittany Lions connected on the corner, with Gladieux scoring with assists from Allessie and Vos with 10:27 left in the game, giving PSU a 3-0 lead. The next five minutes were evenly contested with neither team mustering a shot on goal. Penn State’s defense withstood any Kent State charge and Penn State was able to come up big and get their fifth victory in a row.
Kent State drops to 6-7 on the season (4-1 in the MAC) and will travel to Virginia on the 21st to take on Longwood in a conference matchup.
Penn State moves to 13-2 on the season (5-1 in the Big 10) and will host 2nd-ranked Maryland in a big showdown Friday night (the 21st) at 6 p.m. It will be Senior Night for the Nittany Lions.
Gladieux scored her 17th and 18th goals of the season placing her nationwide in the NCAA top 3 in goal scoring. Allessie had her 12th assist and 32nd point. Simon’s goal was her 5th of the season.
