No. 6 Penn State field hockey saw its postseason run come to an end with a 3-0 NCAA semifinals loss to No. 1 North Carolina on Friday in Storrs, Connecticut.
The Nittany Lions were seeking their first NCAA Championship game appearance since 2007, but it was all North Carolina on Friday as the Tar Heel offense and defense were dominant throughout the game. Five-time ACC player of the year Erin Matson had a strong day, scoring the first two goals of the game for the Tar Heels, and senior forward Paityn Wirth made it three with a nice goal early in the fourth quarter.
How It Happened
It was a physical game from the start, with both North Carolina and Penn State playing very aggressively, fighting for every ball and getting multiple turnovers.
Penn State had the first real opportunity to score on a penalty corner with five minutes to go in the first quarter. Mackenzie Allessie set up a beautiful shot for Sophia Gladieux that went just wide of the net. North Carolina then had three straight penalty corners of their own to end the first quarter. Goalie Brie Barraco and the Nittany Lion defense were able to fend off the attacks, keeping the game 0-0 after one.
The second quarter saw much of the same as both teams continued their aggressive game plans. Six minutes into the quarter, North Carolina struck first thanks to five-time ACC player of the year Erin Matson, who got the pass into the circle and made a nice move to shoot one right past Barraco for the first goal of the game.
Down a goal, Penn State needed to answer back, but the Tar Heels played outstanding defense and kept the Nittany Lions from even taking a shot for the entire second quarter. After 30 minutes, North Carolina held a 1-0 lead.
As the third quarter began, North Carolina was once again in control from the jump. The Tar Heels continued to keep the ball on offense and scored again 10 minutes into the quarter. Matson notched her second goal of the afternoon to extend the lead to two.
A minute after the goal, Penn State had its first shot in nearly 30 minutes of game time, a nice back-handed shot by Gladieux that went wide of the goal. The Nittany Lions tried but couldn’t score, keeping the game 2-0 after three quarters.
With a 2-0 lead, the Tar Heels weren’t done yet. This time, it was Paityn Wirth scoring her fifth goal of the season, extending the lead to three. North Carolina played keep-away for the remainder of the game to win 3-0, eliminating the Nittany Lions.
Takeaways
- The Penn State offense was non-existent for nearly the entire game. The Nittany Lions totaled only four shots with only one of them being a shot on the goal. North Carolina played outstanding defense all day and it showed during the game.
- Brie Barraco had a rough day in the net, allowing three goals for the first time since Sept. 30. It was an unfortunate end to her terrific season as she averaged just one goal against per game on the year and had six shutouts.
- Despite coming up short, it was a special season for Penn State, which won a share of the regular season Big Ten title and finished 17-4 on the year.
