No. 18 Penn State’s Ella Jennes ends 3-2 stalemate with Delaware in double OT

Penn State and Delaware had a showdown at the Nittany Lions first home game of the season. Photo: Sydney Madden

Penn State field hockey senior Ella Jennes’ lucky number has got to be three.

She played her part in regulation against Delaware on Friday, the Nittany Lions first home game of the season. And, then she played in two overtime periods, effectively ending the game on an attack penalty corner with 3:33 remaining in the second OT period to make the final score 3-2.

The Nittany Lions, Big10 Conference, are 1-1 and ranked No. 18. Delaware, new to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, unranked and working with first year coach Tara Zollinger, who stepped in from coaching Shippensburg, are 0-3.  

But the Blue Hens overall record doesn’t reflect their abilities. Penn State had 16 shots, seven on goal; Delaware had 10 shots, eight on them on goal.

Delaware had four saves, and Penn State had six. The Nittany Lions had the edge on attack penalty corners, ultimately leading to the win, with 12, while Delaware had six.

Jennes walked the ball into the circle, spun, turned, and powered a low shot. Walking it back to regulation, parents and fans were buzzing throughout the game.

The home opener featured the Blue Hens’ pressing hard on the offense, the ball seemingly glued to their sticks. Penn State’s strategy was more conservative, hanging behind the 50-yard-line, focused on protecting their cage.

Aby Deverka tallied two early saves following two Delaware attack penalty corners. The Nittany Lions dug deeper in the second quarter.

The blue and white earned three penalty corners. Freshman Joji Purdy took a shot at her first career goal, but Delaware’s Gabby Prentice came up with the save. 

The score remained 0-0 at halftime.

The pace picked up in the second half. Purdy then scored her first career goal, assisted by Morgan McMenamin.

After the game, head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love praised Purdy’s scoring mentality, noting, “she has so much ability. She’s just so smart and savvy around the cage, and she wants to score. Having a scoring mentality is half the battle.”

Just 26 seconds later, Delaware answered back with a goal from Kate Fiest, assisted by Livia Van’t Hek. The third quarter ended in a 1-1 tie.

Deverka came up with a big save, saving a shot by her glove during a Delaware penalty quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Purdy found the back of the cage again to put Penn State in the lead with 2-1.

Delaware appeared to tie the game off a penalty corner, but the goal was overturned after video review.

Still, the Blue Hens responded just a minute later, with Alexa Michielsen, who followed Zollinger from Shippensburg to Delaware, scoring the equalizer to send the game into overtime.

Delaware dominated possession in the first overtime, but neither team found the back of the net.

The final score was 3-2 in double overtime. Penn State hosts the 2024 NCAA Division I runners up, Saint Joseph’s, Sunday at noon. And, Delaware hosts Kent State on Sept. 12.

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