Katelyn Strawser, Olivia Marthins ended overtime in stunning fashion, No. 18 Penn State upsets No. 9 St. Joe’s: college field hockey

No. 18 Penn State defeated No. 9 Saint Joseph’s in Happy Valley 2-1 on Sunday. Photo: Bob Benscoter

Katelyn Strawser had the assist of her Penn State college career to date.

The sophomore took a searing, deep reverse just inside the circle on the near side of the cage, which needed just a finishing touch on the far side, and boom, that’s what happened.

Olivia Marthins was on the left post to tip the ball into the goal for the 2-1 overtime upset of No. 18 Penn State over No. 9 Saint Joseph’s field hockey. The Hawks made it to the NCAA Division I Championship Game last season, but inevitably fell to No. 1 Northwestern 5-0.

The crowd at Char Morett Field Hockey Stadium was shouting, screaming, and on their feet multiple times Sunday throughout the 60 plus minutes of college field hockey.

The first half started with a fast pace, each team scoring in the first quarter. Penn State’s Anouk Knuvers scored her first goal of the season, unassisted, at 8:51 minutes off a penalty corner.

“That insert was kind of funky,” the Netherlands graduate student said. “I was like, ‘oh, I have to go now, so I’m gonna shoot it.’ And then all of a sudden, I heard everybody cheering. I was like, ‘okay, I guess it went in.’ But I mean, it’s awesome. It’s always good.”

The Hawks struck back at the very end of the quarter. Ava Smith tied the game with just 39.5 seconds left in the quarter, assisted by Alison Buffington, who Knuvers was defending.

Penn State's defense stepped up in the second half. The Hawks were moving fluidly, their players positioning wide.

Two players from each team earned cards during the second half, a green card issued to Joji Purdy in the third quarter, and a yellow card issued to Sophia Mannino in the fourth quarter. Buffington received a green card, and Carly Hynd was issued a yellow card, both in the fourth quarter.

The game went into overtime, Penn State’s second of the weekend. The Nittany Lions also hosted Delaware on Friday, which went into double overtime.

Despite the extra miles and minutes logged, Strawser’s on goal shot did the trick. There was just under 4 minutes remaining in the overtime period, when Marthins scored.

“I felt like we had a solid game plan that allowed us to play at our best and exploit some weaknesses,” St. Joe’s head coach Hannah Prince said. “Our transitions had improved from last week, defensively and on attack, and that was a focus for us. The game today, obviously a frustrating outcome, it will be a lesson learned, and we’ll be better for it next time.”

The time for Knuvers to score was imminent, Penn State head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love said.

"We were saying at practices, she's going to score this year. So that's an awesome goal for Anouk. She's a solid defender. She's confident. She's a great communicator in the backfield, she's the anchor. We missed her so much last year, and we're thrilled that we have her back this year."

She continued: "Honestly, we could have won that game in regulation if we took care of the ball better. I think we had opportunities to connect on the ball, we had some good passing up the field, but then we didn't connect on that last pass to be able to get scoring opportunities.

“So for me, I thought our fundamentals today were off. I didn't think our first touch was good. I didn't think our possession was good. But, you know, in overtime, when it counted, we did possess the ball. We've got to be calm. We have to think about our fundamentals."

Penn State are 2-0 at home to start the season.

Saint Joseph’s return to their home field and will host American University on Friday at 7 p.m. Penn State will host Bucknell on Friday at 6 p.m.

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Sydney Madden is a student-intern at Penn State University.