Penn State 3, Iowa 1

The Lions got offense from unfamiliar names in their 3-1 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes Friday afternoon.

Michele Rigby put the Lions on the board 21 minutes into the first half. Rigby intercepted an errant Iowa pass and dribbled down the length of the field. She waited until Iowa's goalkeeper Barb Weinberg committed to the play and then put the ball past her outstretched pads.

Ten minutes later Amanda Eckert got a feed from Karin Grap at the top of the circle and gave Penn State a comfortable 2-0 lead going into halftime.

Grap added another goal thirty seconds into the second half and the Lions played keep away for the final 35 minutes, to secure the 3-1 win and a chance at redemption against Michigan.

Penn State 1, Michigan 0 (OT)

Saturday the Lions took on the No. 1 seed Michigan, just one week after a 5-2 loss to the Wolverines.

In just one week the style of the game changed from a display of offensive dominance to a defensive clinic.

The Lions had a player advantage for most of the second half and overtime after the Big Ten defensive player of the year, Stephanie Johnson, was ejected for her second infraction.

In the extra period Neilye Stoner split two defenders and fed a wide-open Timarie Legel for a one-on-one opportunity.

Legel made the goalkeeper miss and got just enough on the shot to give the Lions a championship berth.

"I thought I was going to miss it because it was bouncing," Legel said. "So I just kind of hit it and it went in."

The Lions played a very-inspired game of field hockey, and for the second game in a row almost every player was in for the entire game.

"I think that there was somewhat of a revenge factor," Penn State field hockey coach Charlene Morett said.

"You hate to say it because you don't want that to be your motivational factor when you play a great team, but it was definitely good to get one back."

Penn States goalkeeper Annie Zinkavich shut down her high school rival and Big Ten offensive player of the year, April Fronzoni. She matched every one of her offensive attempts.

"It was good to shut her down," Zinkavich said. "But I give a lot of credit to my defense."

The Lions defense thrived off the constant pressure the Wolverines high-powered offense was pinning on them. Bekah Hostetler played one of the best games of her career shutting down penalty corners and breakaways.

The upset victory took its toll on the heavily favored Wolverines.

"We're obviously very disappointed," Michigan head coach Marcia Pankratz said. "We came to win the Big Ten Tournament. We just had a little bad luck today."