Panzer Stadium erupted in celebration after a nail-biting match where the Nittany Lions pulled off an overtime win against the Buckeyes. Players from both teams showed grit and delivered high-level performances.
Coming into Sunday’s game, Ohio State had the upper hand with its record at 8-3 compared to Penn State being 5-7. After breaking down each team’s statistics some are almost identical. Penn State’s shots on goal percentage was 0.687, and Ohio State’s shots on goal percentage was 0.685. They both came into the game tied on the total number of goals this season at 135.
Penn State held the edge in free position shooting (0.469 vs. 0.400), draw controls (187 vs. 130), and ground balls (223 vs. 169), while Ohio State led in clearing percentage ( 0.943 vs. 0.851).
“Offensively we’ve been working all season, getting better and better. Every single game has gotten better and we’ve shown that throughout this season,” Payton Wainman said.
This match was highly competitive and physical, the blue and white were doing what it took to compete. Both teams were running up the foul count pushing against one another to gain even just a small advantage. In the end Penn State and Ohio State had 15 fouls each.
Penn State’s offense worked on trying to capitalize on second shot opportunities. They took their time around the circle and set up for efficient plays and connected passes that pushed the ball through.
“Today, we just felt like we had those connections and we were really finishing the ball, and we had this tough third quarter but we came back, and you know what I’m just proud of how the offense played, and we got it done,” Wainman said.
Every player contributed in crucial moments. Matching the score goal-for-goal almost the entire game, each team battled to match the other’s pace.
Penn State’s offense worked as a unit today with seven different players scoring. They found the open player at crucial points and smothered Ohio State’s defense to make the shots.
“Offensively, we have so many weapons. We want to be able to see everybody during the course of the play,” Coach Missy Doherty said. “So, when the ball stalls at one spot, we don’t get to see how awesome everybody else is. So just keep moving the ball. Make your decisions a little bit faster and be ready to see the open people inside.”
The two teams traded goals back and forth, only allowing the other team to be up just one or two at a time. The Nittany Lions had a small lead going into the half, being up 7-5. The Buckeyes had quickly answered back in the third, keeping the blue and white down, 10-9, showing that the offensive efforts still had to work to answer the shots.
“They play a zone, so we really wanted to move the ball a little bit quicker,” Doherty said. “Sometimes the ball was stalling in spots, which is why we were in a little bit of a lull. But once we got the ball moving, it was awesome.”
After a 60-minute fight, the Nittany Lions pulled off the win on the second possession of overtime. Wainman netted the game-winner, sealing the 12-11 victory. Penn State’s win put them at 6-7 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
With another win in the stretch of Big 10 play, the blue and white are two games away from the upcoming conference tournament. If the Nittany Lions maintain this level of play, they could emerge as a legitimate contender in the Big Ten tournament.
Discussion about this post