Even after her team scored nine goals in the past three games, Penn State women's field hockey coach Char Morett was still not impressed with the offensive output.

Six different players scored two goals and five different players filled the box score with at least two assists, but after last night's game Morett insisted that the offense had yet to reach its peak performance level.

The No. 7 Nittany Lions are not in a scoring drought -- they are in the midst of a four-game wining
streak and seem to be playing more like a team than they did at the beginning of the season. Nothing to complain about, but Morett wants more.

"I do think [the offense] is doing better than it was a week ago, but I still think that with the opportunities we create in front of the goal cage, we really need to score more goals," Morett said. "To give up two goals, that doesn't concern me as much as not scoring the goals."

Last night, as halftime approached, the Lions were cruising with a 2-0 lead and were playing well. Equal play in the second half would have given the Lions more goals and a lot more to cheer about. They were a different team, however, when the second half began.

Sloppy play, mistakes and Princeton's determination all contributed to two quick goals for the Tigers that evened the score at two.

After a quick timeout to regroup and refocus, the Lions came out with a new sense of urgency. Redshirt junior Natalie Blasco quickly silenced the Tigers, tapping in the game-winning goal, only 48 seconds after Princeton's second goal. Blasco, who came off the bench, scored a goal in the first half to bring her career total to three goals.

"She really takes away that cross bar pass," Morett said. "She plays wide out there and she takes up some lanes and creates havoc in front of the cage."

Despite Blasco's two goals, the Penn State offense was nothing close to spectacular. It often brought the ball up on the left side, which is the non-dominant side.

The Tigers took advantage of the Lions' mistakes in the second half and began to move the ball to their right side, driving toward the Penn State 25 and keeping possession.

Goals scored compared with shots on goal did not correlate well for the Lions -- they only scored three goals off of 16 shots. Princeton, however, converted two goals on only five shots. Penalty corners were another nightmare for Penn State, and it only made one goal in eight chances.

Senior Chase Bacon was on the bench again last night, cheering on fellow teammates rather than playing with them. Bacon received a stick to the head against Lock Haven and had to get stitches. She has been out ever since and will be out at least another week, after complaining about headaches.

The team, however, has been no worse off as freshman Laura Cahill has stepped in to play for Bacon during her injury. The younger sister of last year's co-captain and defensive specialist Sara Cahill, Laura is displaying poise on the field that could give her more playing time.