Fall Sports Update: Women’s Hockey Gets Underway
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on October 11, 2024
Women’s Hockey (1-1)
The No. 12 women’s hockey team split its season-opening series with Northeastern last weekend. After a tough 3-1 loss in the opener, the Lions rebounded with a solid 2-1 victory in the second game. Maddy Christian’s second-period goal in Game 2 provided the winning margin for Penn State, who will look to defend its CHA regular season and tournament crowns in 2024-25.
Penn State will hit the road for a two-game series with UConn. Game 1 will be played on Friday (3pm on ESPN+), and Game 2 will be on Saturday (3pm on ESPN+).
Women’s Volleyball (12-1)
After its decisive sweep at Purdue, the No. 3 women’s volleyball team defeated Michigan State 3-1 on Sunday. The Spartans won the first set, and a whopping 30 attack errors by the Nittany Lions kept Michigan State in the match before Penn State pulled away. Jess Mruzik’s 29 kills led the way for the offense, and Gillian Grimes added 21 digs for the defense.
Penn State will continue conference play tonight against Maryland (6pm on BTN) and tomorrow against Oregon (7pm on BTN). Friday’s game against Oregon will be the annual Wear White match.
Women’s Soccer (9-3-1)
The No. 19 women’s soccer team dropped a tough 2-1 road match against Iowa before rebounding with a 1-0 win over Nebraska. Amelia White scored her first career goal in the loss to the Hawkeyes. Penn State took an early 1-0 lead before conceding two goals later in the first half.
Amanda Poorbaugh recorded a shutout against Nebraska in her 12th straight start. Mieke Scheimann scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute on a free kick opportunity.
Penn State will continue conference play tomorrow night against Rutgers (5pm on Big Ten Plus).
Field Hockey (6-3)
The No. 17 field hockey team swelled its winning streak to six games with a 3-2 win over Indiana and a 5-1 win over Lafayette. In the Big Ten opener, Penn State never trailed and took a quick 2-0 lead in the first quarter on goals from Phia Gladieux and Natalie Freeman. Drew Taylor added an insurance goal in the third period, and the defense held on in the fourth for the 3-2 win.
The Lions got off to a slow start against Lafayette but broke the game open with two goals in the second period. Despite being outshot 16-10 in the match, goalie Aby Deverka made several key saves in the first half to allow the Lions to build a lead and ultimately win 5-1.
Penn State will hit the road for games against Iowa on Friday (6pm on Big Ten Plus) and Sunday at Northwestern (1pm on Big Ten Plus).
Men’s Soccer (4-5-1)
The men’s soccer team tied its only match of the week, playing Maryland to a 1-1 draw on the road. After a scoreless first half, the Terrapins took a 1-0 lead after a corner kick. Caden Grabfelder tied the game in the 62nd minute on a free kick. The defense was dicey in the closing minutes, but a key save from Andrew Cooke preserved the tie.
Penn State returns home this weekend to face UCLA on Friday (8pm on Big Ten Plus) and Rutgers on Monday (6pm on BTN).