PSU gets scare from Quakers

Penn held strong againstPenn held strong againstthe ranked NittanyPenn held strong againstthe ranked NittanyLions before runningPenn held strong againstthe ranked NittanyLions before runningout of gas at the end. As it turned out, the Penn field hockey team's game was over 56 seconds into the contest. Penn State star forward Tara Maguire scored with less than a minute gone by, and that was all the Nittany Lions needed to put away the feisty Quakers, although Penn State added two late goals to win 3-0 last night at Franklin Field. But that isn't the whole story. Penn (6-9) held nationally ranked Penn State to a single goal until late in the second half and had many opportunities to tie the game. "Considering their roster, holding them to one goal for that period of time was very good, and plus we had opportunities," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "If we had capitalized on any of those first half opportunities, it might have been a different ballgame. We weren't even able to create those opportunities against Maryland [last week], but I thought we really could beat Penn State. I truly did." After the quick goal, Penn successfully stopped Penn State's offense for almost the next hour of play. But the Quakers offense did not prove effective against a strong Nittany Lion squad. As Penn wore down in the second half, Penn State was able to capitalize with two goals -- the last by Heather Gorlaski with 12 minutes, 24 seconds left to play. "I thought we played them really tight the first half," Penn sophomore Audrey Heinel said. "We would have had a chance to win if we had played like that in the second half. They just got better and we just let up. "When it's in our defensive end ,most of the time we're going to make mistakes. We just didn't play consistently in the second half." As the second half clock ticked away, Penn's lack of depth took its toll. The Nittany Lions kept the ball on offense, and the Quakers stamina began to wane. "I think we fizzled out physically," Cloud said. "And when you start to get tired, you start not to execute and not to think as much and more try to struggle to survive as opposed to taking charge." Although the Quakers played well defensively, their offense was stifled. They took only six shots on goal, compared to Penn State's 16. The Nittany Lions also had eight corners to Penn's five. And while they were dominated for a good part of the second half, the Quakers agreed that they had their chances. "It's just disappointing that we weren't able to stay strong in the second half," Penn co-captain Curran Kelly said. "It's good for us to see that we can stay with them and play hard with them. They're definitely not the team Maryland was. Penn State was beatable. We did play well, but we could have played better." "We had offensive opportunities," the Quakers' other co-captain, Michele Canuso-Bedesem, said. "Being down 1-0 early, while it's not the most favorable position, it's certainly not an impossible position." Indeed the crowd gasped whenever the Quakers came close to the PSU net. But in the end, the few shots they were able to get off were either blocked or flew wide of the goal. It was a bittersweet ending for Penn's young field hockey squad. While the Quakers knew they had the potential to beat Penn State, their lack of depth against a well-conditioned Nittany Lions team saw to it that this would not be their day.