Penn State women’s field hockey upset No. 11 Iowa in double OT
Penn State women’s field hockey remain unbeaten at home. Photo: PSU athletics
It took two rounds of overtime, but Penn State women’s field hockey finally broke through, as freshman Olivia Marthins intercepted a pass at the top of the circle and fired a clean reverse to give the Nittany Lions a dramatic win over No. 11 Iowa at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex on Friday night.
There were just over five minutes remaining in the second overtime.
Penn State, unranked but undefeated at home, handed the Hawkeyes a hard-fought loss in a game dedicated to the late Gretta Ehret through the Gretta Ehret Dream Crazy Foundation.
The game was a back-and-forth battle from the start.
In the first quarter, both teams created chances, with Iowa recording three shots and earning a penalty corner while Penn State’s defense, anchored by sophomore keeper Aby Deverka, made two saves to keep the game scoreless.
Penn State dominated possession in the second quarter.
The Nittany Lions outshot the Hawkeyes 2-1, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Deverka made a standout save, and Joji Purdy’s impressive reverse nearly gave Penn State the lead.
At halftime, the scoreboard remained 0-0. The intensity continued in the second half.
In the third quarter, both teams pushed hard, and Penn State’s discipline kept Iowa from taking control despite multiple penalty corners. A penalty stroke by Penn State’s Morgan Snyder was saved, sending the game into overtime.
It was in the second overtime when Marthins’ decisive play finally broke the scoreless game.
“I couldn’t have done it without the girls on the team, but I thought I’m not gonna let this opportunity go to waste, and I put it all on the line,” Marthins said.
Head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love praised her team’s effort.
“I thought defensively we had some great stops, just played with good discipline,” Bervinchak Love said. “I think it was just an overall great team effort. This is just a huge win, and it’s just gonna be a big confidence booster for us going into Sunday’s game.”
Penn State will host Indiana on Sunday at 11 a.m., while No. 11 Iowa will travel to No. 15 Rutgers for a game at the same time.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Sydney Madden is a student-intern at Penn State University.