The Penn State field hockey club won its first national championship in its inaugural year in the National Field Hockey League (NFHL).

The Lions dominated conference opponents Lafayette, Princeton, Rutgers, Connecticut, Salisbury and Virginia in the regular season, and had just one tie to Maryland. After this minor setback, the team was determined to win the championship. Little did the players know that the team they would face in the finals was the same one that had put a blemish on an otherwise perfect season.

"We were more focused and motivated than ever," said coach and player Jen Romano. "We were in a new conference this year, and after seeing all our talent and working hard in practice, we felt confident that we could win it all."

Confidence definitely drove the team through the NFHL tournament. After defeating James Madison University 4-2 in the semifinals, the team overcame Maryland 4-3 in a hotly contested final match that went into two rounds of penalty strokes.

Both teams played relentlessly, as the score heading into halftime was tied at 2. Maryland pulled ahead 3-2 midway through the second half, then Penn State's Jess Williams knocked in the game-tying goal, sending the match to overtime.

The teams battled through two overtime periods, but neither could score. In similar fashion, the first round of penalty strokes ended in a 3-3 tie. Neither team seemed willing to back down.

However, in a seemingly cursed pattern, Maryland missed all three of its penalty shots in the second round of strokes. Penn State's Ashleigh Clark, Capri Rothbager and Cindy Bray capitalized on their opponent's mistakes and sunk their shots into the back of the net, sealing the Penn State victory.

"I'm proud of the way we developed as a team and put all our skills and talent together to win our first championship," Romano said.