No. 7 Penn State Field Hockey Takes Down No. 10 Virginia

No. 7 Penn State field hockey (2-0) traveled to No. 10 Virginia on Sunday and scored a 4-2 win in its first top-10 matchup of the season.

The Cavaliers (1-1) couldn’t contain sophomore defender Bes Bovelander on penalty corners as she notched the first two goals of her Penn State career. Junior Gini Bramley also added two goals and junior goaltender Jenny Rizzo made eight saves for the Nittany Lions.

How It Happened

Sunday’s game got off to an electric start for the Nittany Lions, a stark contrast from Friday’s comeback victory over Old Dominion. Bovelander scored her first career goal in the 14th minute to open the scoring for Penn State.

Here’s a 👀 at Bovelander’s first career goal in the 14th minute! #WeAre #PSUFH 🏑🏑🏑 pic.twitter.com/3vApZf6Kpo

— PSU Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) August 27, 2017

Nine minutes later, junior Gini Bramley scored her second of the season to double her team’s lead, picking up a rebound in front of goal before poking the ball into the back of the net.

Bramley, who scored Penn State’s first goal of the season on Friday, scored her third of the year in the 26th minute to extend the Lions’ lead to three. Although the shot total was fairly even going into halftime (8-7 in favor of the Nittany Lions), Penn State’s defense, led by goaltender Jenny Rizzo’s three saves, stifled Virginia’s attack throughout the first half.

In the second half, Virginia’s hopes for a comeback were quickly squashed by Bovelander’s second career goal in the 11th minute of the period, giving Penn State a 4-0 lead. The goal came off of a penalty corner from junior Moira Putsch. Bovelander’s initial shot was blocked by Virginia’s defense, but the Dutchwoman scored on the ensuing rebound.

The Cavaliers scored twice within the span of two minutes to break Jenny Rizzo’s shutout and cut their deficit in half. Penn State’s defense locked up for the final 10 minutes of the game, finishing off a 4-2 victory in an early test for Penn State.

Player Of The Game

Bes Bovelander | Sophomore | Defender

The Penn State defender had a day to remember against Virginia — she scored her first and second career goals and helped the defense shut down Virginia’s attack for most of the afternoon.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will return to Happy Valley for their home opener against Temple at 6 p.m. on Friday.