The Penn State field hockey defense has been absolutely nasty, statistically, through the first half of the season. The only person who has yet to be impressed is coach Char Morett.

After yesterday's 3-0 shutout against Syracuse, Penn State's defense is nearly flawless, allowing only 0.69 goals per game, ranking fourth in the nation.

The defensive unit has plenty of star power. The defensive line, led by tri-captain Molly Schriver, and anchored by former Big Ten player of the week Sara Cahill, freshman U.S. Under-21 Team reserve Jen Long and the durable Carey Maser has helped the team tie for first in the nation in margin of victory, outscoring opponents by 3.25 goals per game.

Goalies Megan Akstin, who ranks fourth in the league in save percentage with an .860 average, and backup Jen Beaumont could have recorded the combined shutout without even stepping on the field, as neither goalie was required to make a save.

But after the sixth shutout in 11 games this season, Morett was less than enthusiastic about the team's play on defense, saying they weren't communicating well.

"They were allowing their girls to receive the ball too easily," she said, "And they need to step in front of the forwards and start taking away the passing lanes."

Morett continued to stress to her players that they need to stay in front of the play, and intercept passes, rather than falling behind the play.

Schriver said the defensive statistics might be more reflective of the team's strong possession passing game, which limited the Orange to a measly five shots.

Freshman Jen Long added the defensive line worked on forcing their opponents to the outside.

"The passing game is on; the defense is on. We still need to tweak some things but we're getting there," Long said.

Tri-captain Natalie Berrena said one of the goals for this week's practice was to concentrate on one-on-one defense all over the field. But during last night's game, they were leaving their opponents and trying to steal the ball by reaching to the open turf with their sticks.

Berrena, a forward, said the front line was really the first line of defense, but it knows it can trust the backs when the ball gets by.

And what really makes their defense special is their added benefit on offense, as was seen by Maser's assist on Shaun Banta's first goal.

"They are so capable of coming up to score," Berrena said. "They really are the total package back there."

Berrena seemed confident, though, that the team would pull through its defensive skid.

"Char always says defense wins championships. We really believe it," Berrena said.