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Penn State Field Hockey Advances to NCAA Tournament Semifinal with 1-0 Win over Albany

No. 6 Penn State field hockey advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the first time in 15 years after a 1-0 win against No. 16 Albany on Sunday afternoon.

After defeating No. 12 Louisville on Friday, the Nittany Lions had another rematch with Albany, who they defeated earlier this season 6-2.

In a back-and-forth defensive affair, Penn State got a fantastic performance from goalkeeper Brie Barraco, who tallied five saves on the day. The game remained 0-0 until late in the fourth quarter when senior captain Mackenzie Allessie changed that with an impressive game-winning goal.

How It Happened

The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle that saw both teams without a shot for the first 13 minutes. Penn State finally got an opportunity to score with two penalty corners, but both attempts were unsuccessful, keeping the game 0-0 after one.

Two more penalty corners for Penn State were unsuccessful due to high and wide shots from Sophia Gladieux and Jemma Punch.

Albany, which went the first 21 minutes without taking a shot, finally got a scoring chance thanks to a penalty corner, but Barraco made a nice kick save to keep the game tied.

The next 10 minutes would be a lot of the same for both teams, as neither could capitalize on their scoring opportunities, keeping the game scoreless going into the half.

With the second half underway, Penn State tried to get things going, but it was more of the same. The next 15 minutes saw only one shot attempt from both teams amid strong defensive performance on both sides

The Great Danes got another opportunity late in the corner with a one-on-one shot, but Barraco came through with a glove save to keep the game tied..

With only 15 minutes remaining in the game, the pressure was on. At the 54-minute mark, Mackenzie Allessie took care of business and struck one into the back of the net for the first goal of the game.

Now with the lead, Penn State was able to continue to play excellent defense for the final five minutes. Barraco got another save and the Nittany Lions defended a penalty corner to prevent the equalizer and hand on to a 1-0 victory.

Takeaways

  • Mackenzie Allessie, who had not scored a goal since the Nittany Lions Oct. 21 win over Maryland, scored what could be the most important goal of her career late in the fourth quarter. Allessie had an impressive game, as it felt like she was all over the field in the win.
  • With the Penn State offense having a slow and down day, Brie Barraco kept this team in the game thanks to five huge saves. She was really the MVP of today’s game.

What’s Next

Penn State moves on to the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. The Nittany Lions will face No. 1 North Carolina Friday afternoon in Storrs, Connecticut. The time is still to be announced.