Luckily for Penn State, the Quakers were unable to score on the penalty corner, which was their last major scoring opportunity of the game, and the Lions (8-1) tallied one more goal minutes later, en route to a 2-0 victory.
"I'm trying to get emotion out of them," Morett said. "If you watch long enough, it's a frustrating game."
Two plays by the team's co-captains Timarie Legel and Heather Conroy proved to be the difference in the game. With about eight minutes left in the first half, Legel received the pass on the penalty corner and passed the ball to Conroy on her left. With one quick swing, Conroy fired the ball into the back right corner of the goal past Quaker goalie Amanda Jacobs. Conroy said that the corner play was actually set up for Legel, but Quaker defenders forced the Lions to adjust. "That corner play was supposed to be a straight shot from the top," Conroy said.
Penn State went into halftime with a one-goal lead but the Quakers, who managed just one shot in the first half, came out firing. As the early evening shadows crept further on to the field, the yells from the Penn bench grew louder. The Quakers had several scoring opportunities 10 minutes into the second half as Penn State goalie Annie Zinkavich fell down in front of the goal making saves.
The Lions offense looked sluggish in the second half against Elizabeth Schlossberg, who played goalie for the Quakers during the last 35 minutes of action. Schlossberg took over for Jacobs, who allowed just one goal on seven Penn State shots in the first half.
"She's a very talented player," Penn field hockey coach Val Cloud said. "I can't keep her on the bench for the whole game."
For the Lions, the game was a final test before their Big Ten opener Saturday against Iowa. Despite the sloppy play, the team goes into the weekend on a four-game winning streak. After posting just one goal in the team's first four games, Conroy has found the net five times in the team's last three games.
