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LEWISBURG, Pa.- Under the lights of Monday Night Field Hockey, the Penn State Nittany Lions (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten) imposed their will over the Bucknell Bison (4-5, 0-2 Patriot) at Graham Field at Holmes Stadium, 3-0. The victory over the Bison was the Nittany Lions' first road victory of the year and the 43rd straight over Bucknell.
The offense was led by junior transfer Ella Gaitan whose pair of goals matched her season and career-high set against Delaware earlier this year. Senior captain Natalie Freeman joined in the scoring with a goal of her own and Isle of Man-native Sienna Dunn registered her ninth assist of the season. The Penn State defense was phenomenal throughout, only allowing four shots, three in the second half, and five penalty corners, all of which came in the second half. Aby Deverka came away from the game with a clean sheet.
FIRST PERIOD | PSU 1 – BUCKNELL 0
The Penn State offense came out the gate fast and Gaitan, on the first shot of the game, recorded the first Penn State goal of the night with Dunn on the assist. Gaitan recorded another shot a minute later before Bucknell volleyed wide its only shot until the fourth. Gaitan and Joji Purdy would shoot a couple more times before the end of the stanza.
SECOND PERIOD | PSU 2 – BUCKNELL 0
Gaitan and Freeman began the period with a pair of shots that failed to find the back of the cage. Despite the first two shots not finding their target, her second shot not long was true and procured the second goal for the Nittany Lions on the night. Defense in the midfield dominated the rest of the period as no other shots were registered.
THIRD PERIOD | PSU 2 – BUCKNELL 0
Penn State dominated the third quarter but was unable to capitalize on the opportunities. The Nittany Lions shot five times throughout the stanza while not allowing a single shot to leave a Bison stick. Penn State also secured the advantage in penalty corners with five compared to Bucknell's lone attempt.
FOURTH PERIOD | PSU 3 – BUCKNELL 0
Offense continued to be the focal point during the last quarter of play. Penn State shot 11 times with an astounding nine penalty corners in the period. Late in the fourth, Gaitan scored the last goal of the evening after weaving through the defense. Defensively, the Nittany Lions were stout. A trio of shots and a quadruplet of penalty corners from the Bison led to no shots on goal, keeping the scoresheet clean to end play.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will finish the team's three-game road stint with a trip to Piscataway, N.J. to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Friday, October 2 at 3 p.m. at Bauer Track/Field Hockey Complex. Penn State will then head back to the Penn State Field Hockey Complex to face Lafayette on Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m. to face Lafayette for Senior Day presented by the Penn State Alumni Association. Fans can stream both contests on B1G+ and can attend all games at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex for free.