Penn State Picks Up Pair Of Victories Over Villanova and St. Joseph

The Digital Collegian
Written by Katie Graham
September 12, 2005

Not even a pair of controversial goals could slow down the Penn State field hockey team in a two-game weekend homestand.

The Nittany Lions extended their AstroTurf® Field domination to four wins and added to what is now a six-game winning streak.

The team, which has yet to lose at home, sent Villanova and St. Joseph's away hanging their heads as the Lions proved to be too much to handle, dropping Villanova, 3-1, on Friday night and St. Joseph's, 6-1, yesterday at the team's new home.

The matchup vs. Villanova proved to be somewhat of a nail-biter and a catfight, as the Wildcats' senior forward Rory Rogers scored a disputed goal off of a rebound with no time on the clock before the halftime break making the score 1-1.

"I thought we got a second wind the second half after giving up that goal with no time left on the clock," Penn State coach Char Morett said. "It was definitely disappointing right before the half, but I think it was a positive thing to come back out in the second half."

The Lions (6-1) came out strong after the break, when blue-chip freshman Allison Scola put Penn State back on top with an all-too-easy goal early in the second half, tapping a ball in with no defenders around her.

"I just picked up the pace and got in the back of the cage," Scola said.

The team added one more goal from fifth-year senior Bekah Hostetler to make its win complete over the once undefeated Wildcats (3-1).

The Lions, rolling with a ton of winning momentum, reminded the St. Joe's Hawks that they have never lost against them and didn't intend to yesterday. The team crushed St. Joe's by five in a game where the Hawks failed to have a shot on goal until the second half.

Poor communication from the Hawks allowed Penn State to play a multitude of players and show depth at every position. Five different players, including

forward Shaun Banta, who ended the game with two goals, scored the six Penn State goals.

Junior Chase Bacon saw some game action and reminded the team she deserved to be there with her fancy stickhandling, confusing two St. Joe's players and allowing the Lions to once again move back into Hawk territory.

The second half had some questionable referee calls from Penn State's standpoint, as St. Joe's refused to go away empty-handed and was finally able to score in the second half.

Banta was penalized for stepping into the goal cage and stopping the ball with her foot, something only goalies are allowed to do. The call resulted in a penalty shot and the Hawks' lone score.

"It did hit her foot and if it would have gone in or not I really don't know. It could have been deflected; it was a judgment call I guess," senior keeper Megan Akstin said.

Penn State ended its victory with 21 shots on goal to the Hawks four.

"We had good ball position, keeping in check and working it on the sides," Morett said. "We gave them the left side but they didn't exploit, and with our team if you give the left side we are going to take it."

Hear no evil

The first game of the weekend, though not in Villanova's favor, was definitely an aggressive one. Villanova goalie Erin Scott made sure to keep the Wildcats focused by repeatedly banging on her goalie pads through out the whole game.

"I didn't even notice [that she was hitting her pads]," Scola said. "I just kept playing my game. She was not intimidating."

One and done

Morett, the fifth winningest coach in the NCAA, is one win away from reaching 300 wins with the Lions. Morett has 336 wins in her career between Penn State and Boston College.

"They gave me 300 for my overall career, and I didn't even know," Morett said. "For me, it's let's get this team winning game by game and getting the 'W.' "

Quotable

"We are like AstroTurf® snobs, almost, because we have such a beautiful field. We always felt bad about our old field but now we can really showcase our own skills," Morett said of the newly constructed AstroTurf® Field.