No. 11 Field Hockey Falls in NCAA Tournament
November 15, 2014 | Field Hockey
Box Score
Syracuse, N.Y. – No. 11 Boston College field hockey fell to No. 6 Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon at J.S. Coyne Stadium in Syracuse. The Eagles fought back from a 1-0 deficit, but the Nittany Lions answered to win, 2-1.
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Penn State came out strong in the first half and controlled possession in the Eagles’ zone to start the game. The Nittany Lions stole the ball at midfield and carried it up the field to the right side of BC’s circle in the ninth minute of the half. Amanda Dinunzio, with her sixth of the season, bounced one past Leah Settipane to put the Nittany Lions up, 1-0.
The Eagles picked up the offensive pressure later in the first frame, applying the press against the Penn State defense. With three minutes remaining in the half, BC peppered PSU goalkeeper Kylie Licata with five consecutive shots. Junior forwards Kelcie Hromisin and AshLeigh Sebia, along with freshman forward Brooke Matherson all tallied rapid fire shots, but Licata came up with big saves to keep the Eagles off the board.
Although BC held the shot advantage, ten to four, the Nittany Lions headed into halftime carrying a 1-0 lead over the Eagles.
The beginning of the second half saw a lot of back-and-forth play between Boston College and Penn State. Sophomore forward Eryn McCoy came up with a great chance on a shot that went just wide two minutes into play.
Senior midfielder Emma Plasteras was sent off the field with a green card with 26:30 on the clock, but the Eagles were able to battle with a man down to keep PSU from adding another goal.
Penn State was given a green card with 16 minutes remaining to give BC a man advantage for two minutes, but the Nittany Lions were able to defend the Eagle attack with Katie Andrews off the field.
The Eagles drew three consecutive attack penalty corners with ten minutes remaining in the game. Although BC tallied shots on all three opportunities, Penn State was able to defend the Eagle attack.
After the series of corners, Eryn McCoy delivered the game-tying goal on a reverse hit in front of the net for her tenth goal of the season with 8:29 remaining in the game.
Penn State was quick to respond less than two minutes later as Taylor Herold deflected Amanda Dinunzio’s shot past junior goalkeeper Leah Settipane to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead with seven minutes left.
Head coach Ainslee Lamb pulled Settipane and substituted in a kickback with three minutes on the clock to try to tie the game up at two. Senior midfielder Emma Plasteras tallied a shot on a reverse chip, but the Eagles couldn’t come up with the tying goal and Penn State came away with a final winning score of 2-1.
"The defense played fantastic and the attack did a tremendous job of getting 16 shots off
"This senior group of 7 players has been amazing. I am indebted to their leadership this fall and know their immediate impact was felt in every game and practice this season. The future path they have put this team on is a bright one and I am grateful to them for their commitment and loyalty," said Lamb.
Game Notes: Boston College outshot Penn State, 16-15, but the Nittany Lions held the shot advantage in the second half taking nine against BC’s six…the Eagles earned eight attack penalty corners, including five in the second frame, against Penn State’s four…BC has not allowed an opponent to score on a penalty corner in its last 11 games…BC goalkeeper Leah Settipane made six saves and PSU goalie Kylie Licata came up with nine saves…the Eagles are now 0-2 against Penn State all-time and 2-9 in the NCAA Tournament…the Nittany Lions will play No. 4 Syracuse on Sunday at 2 p.m. for a shot at advancing to the NCAA Field Hockey Final Four in College Park, Md. after the Orange defeated No. 17 Boston University, 2-1.
