Indiana women’s field hockey end Penn State’s home winning streak in 3-1 Big Ten clash
Indiana beat Penn State 3-1 in Happy Valley on Sunday. Photo: Megan Smarkusky, Penn State Athletics
Natalie Freeman lit up the Penn State women’s field hockey scoreboard first in the Nittany Lion’s contest Sunday against Big Ten competitor Indiana.
But, it would be the only goal Penn State could finish.
Aubrey Semler passed the ball to Freeman with 5:47 on the clock in the first quarter. And, Freeman punched it in.
Both unranked teams pulled off upsets on Friday, Indiana defeating No. 10 Maryland 2-1 in a shootout and Penn State beating No. 11 Iowa 1-0 in double overtime.
The Hoosiers immediately responded to Penn State’s first goal scored, when Inés Garcia Prado scored unassisted at 12:08, sending the teams into the first break tied 1-1. Indiana scored second, and then once more, to effectively end Penn State’s home winning streak.
Penn State’s defense was able to temporarily stave off Indiana’s momentum in the second. The Hoosiers were on the attack, when freshman defender Cooper Cutchins stepped up.
She made a diving save to keep the ball out of the cage and then went on to record several more key blocks throughout the game showcasing her strength as a first-year starter.
The score remained tied 1-1 at halftime.
With 1:24 remaining in the third quarter, Garcia Prado, assisted by Hannah Riddle, netted her second goal, putting Indiana ahead 2-1.
The Hoosiers extended their lead in the fourth quarter on an attack penalty corner. Charlotte Glasper, assisted by Mijntje Hagen, at 47:59, redirected the ball after a fancy backdoor pass at the top of the circle followed up by hard pass to cage, where Glasper hit the roof.
Indiana left State College with a 3-1 victory.
“I think we lost our composure,” head coach Lisa Bervinchak Love said. “I think we came out strong. I think our team got frustrated a little bit, but you can’t use that as an excuse. That’s where mental toughness comes in. You got to move on to the next play, and not dwell on the last play.”
The Nittany Lions are 2-5 in the Big Ten Conference and Indiana are 2-3.
Penn State will travel to Lock Haven on Friday, October 24, while Indiana returns home to host No. 12 Ohio State that same day.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Sydney Madden is a student-intern at Penn State University.