Syracuse Downs Penn State 5-2
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa -- Sophomore forward Emma Polaski scores her fifth goal of the season helping Syracuse remain victorious after winning their second game set 5-2 against Penn State.
Syracuse started off strong in the first period, scoring two goals made by freshman forward Marielle McHale, and sophomore forward Emma Polaski making it her fifth goal this season.
At the beginning of the second period, it seemed as if both teams had an equal chance of winning when Penn State made an aggressive comeback and tied the game 2-2 with two goals, made by freshman defensemen Izzy Heminger and sophomore forward Shea Nelson, in the span of thirty seconds.
But those would be the only two goals made by Penn State in the entirety of the game, and as the second period ended Syracuse had gotten ahold of the lead once again as junior forward Anonda Hoppner scored a goal extending Syracuse’s lead to 3-2.
The third period was rough for the Nittany Lions where they couldn’t score against the Orange being ruthless as ever. Both teams got three penalties each, and on Syracuse’s all of them were for a very bold junior forward Kelli Rowswell.
but Syracuse used their time in power play wisely, resulting in a goal by sophomore forward Victoria Klimek. The Orange gave their one last push of energy as redshirt senior forward Brooke Avery scored in the last minute of the third period.
Penn State head coach Jeff Kampersal elaborates on the team's faults and says they need to avoid unnecessary errors.
“We’re finding ways to not win games by making inopportune changes or inopportune penalties so its kind of like sinking our own battleship,” Kampersal said. “And when it comes down to it we’re never going to be a perfect team but we got to minimize our mistakes.”
Although Penn State had a challenging game today, Kampersal says the team did put in a good effort and improved from yesterday.
“Some good individual efforts like Izzy in the back did a good job, there's a couple big block shots here and there and a lot better puck movement than yesterday,” Kampersal said.
Syracuse is now 4-6 while Penn State’s loss moves them to 4-7-1. Hopefully, the Nittany Lions will learn from their mistakes and improve for their next game on Nov. 16 against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Rhea Jha is a sophomore majoring in telecommunications. To contact him, email rkj5111@psu.edu
