2010 SEASON RECAPS Game 1 • August 27
Game 2 • August 29
University Park, Pa. No. 18 Penn State 4, No. 16 Old Dominion 0
University Park, Pa. No. 3 Virginia 3, No. 18 Penn State 0
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Behind a facility-record 13 saves from sophomore Ayla Halus and an efficient offensive attack, the No. 18 Penn State field hockey team topped No. 16 Old Dominion, 4-0 at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex on Friday.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sophomore Ayla Halus had her second-straight double-digit save performance, but it wasn’t enough as No. 3 Virginia downed the Penn State field hockey team, 3-0 in front of 626 fans on a bright and sunny Sunday afternoon.
Head Coach Char Morett was facing her former mentor, Beth Anders, who is the NCAA All-Time winningest coach with 563 career victories. Morett stands fourth with 397.
The strong turnout marked the fifth largest crowd in the history of the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. With the loss, the Nittany Lions drop to 1-1 while Virginia improves to 2-0.
Sophomore Kelsey Amy led the scoring attack with a pair of goals to tie a career-high while sophomore Hannah Allison and senior Daneen Zug each added single tallies. Halus wasn’t the only Lion player to break a facility record; junior Jessica Longstreth racked up a career-high three assists to tie for the most ever at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.
Penn State played neck-and-neck with Virginia in the opening minutes, putting two shots on goal in the first 11:03, but goalkeeper Kim Kastuk came up with the save each time. The Cavaliers took advantage, striking first at 12:20 when Michelle Vittese’s flick shot off a penalty corner beat Halus to make it 1-0.
The Monarchs came out with a bang, recording 11 first-half shots with 10 on cage. It was Halus who kept the Nittany Lions in the game early with one huge save after another. Penn State took advantage when Allison found the back of the cage at 8:22 for a 1-0 lead. Her low shot off a penalty corner beat goalkeeper Marla Petriello cleanly for the early lead.
A penalty corner led to the Cavs’ second goal when Elly Buckley’s direct shot made it 2-0 at 22:04.
Old Dominion continued the relentless attack after the goal with nine shots on cage in the span of 10:44, but Halus came up big every time. She made spectacular saves in succession on two separate occasions, not only stopping the initial shot, but finding a way to deny the rebound attempt.
Penn State bounced back with a strong second half, finishing even in shots while being awarded seven penalty corners to Virginia’s two. But, like they had all game, the Cavaliers took advantage of their opportunities to make it 3-0. Just 1:39 into the second half, Paige Selenski came in all alone on the right side for the score.
The Nittany Lions doubled their lead, making it 2-0 at 26:14 off another penalty corner. This time it was Amy, who rocketed a direct shot to the far side of the cage.
The Nittany Lions controlled possession over the subsequent minutes, forcing Kastuk to make three second half saves. At 50:27, sophomore Kelsey Amy’s shot off a penalty corner appeared ticketed for the back of the cage, but Cavaliers’ back Chloe Pendlebury made the crucial defensive save to preserve the shutout.
Penn State bounced back in the second half to control play, outshooting the Monarchs 9-4 while scoring two more insurance tallies. The first came from Zug, who cleaned up Allison’s initial shot for a rebound goal at 63:31.
Halus, who finished with 10 saves, made a number of spectacular stops like she had against No. 16 Old Dominion on Friday. At 51:56, Selenski came in all alone once again, but was denied by Halus, who came out aggressively to keep the score at 3-0.
The Nittany Lions were awarded a corner attempt when time expired in regulation, so they played it out and Amy capitalized with her second goal of the game for the 4-0 final.
Final shots were 19-10 in favor of Virginia while corners were even at eight apiece. The Cavaliers made six saves, led by Kastuk’s five along with the defensive stop.
Virginia 2 1 3 Penn State 0 0 0
Old Dominion 0 0 0 Penn State 2 2 4 1 8:22 2 26:14 3 63:31 4 70:00
PSU Allison PSU Amy PSU Zug PSU Amy
Shots: ODU 15, PSU 15 Saves: ODU (Petriello) 5, PSU (Halus) 14 Penalty Corners: ODU 9, PSU 11
Purvis, L., Longstreth Longstreth (unassisted) Longstreth
1 12:20 UVA Vittese 2 22:04 UVA Buckley 3 36:39 UVA Selenski
Swezey, Carpenter Swezey, Carpenter (unassisted)
Shots: UVA 19, PSU 10 Saves: UVA (Kastuk) 5, PSU (Halus) 10 Penalty Corners: UVA 8, PSU 8
GoPSUsports.com • PENN STATE 2011
33