Blue White Illustrated

October 2022

Penn State Sports Magazine

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5 0 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Penn State's defensive prowess was its Big Ten opener Sept. 16 at Michigan. The Nittany Lions were clinging to a one-goal lead late in the game against the seventh-ranked Wolverines. With just under five minutes to play, Michi- gan pulled its goalie. With three minutes to play, PSU graduate midfielder Anna Simon received a green card, sending her to the bench and intensifying the pressure. Penn State kept its poise. The Nittany Lions held off the Wolverines for a 2-1 victory, with Barraco totaling 10 saves, including 7 in the third period. "We were down two players and try- ing to stall with three minutes left in the game," coach Char Morett-Curtiss said. "We just got good pressure on the ball and made them throw the ball away a little bit. "Then at the end of the game, with probably a minute left, [junior mid- fielder] Gery Schnarrs just bombed an overhead to the far corner of the field. Everybody just stepped up, and we were able to close the game out. "It was a great win on the road. I said to the team, I have one word for you guys, and it's grit. They showed grit in that game. I was so proud of them." The Lions will have more opportuni- ties over the next month to show their fortitude. In addition to top-ranked Northwestern, upcoming opponents Iowa and Maryland were both in the top five of the Sept. 20 coaches poll, with the Terrapins third and the Hawkeyes fifth. Rutgers, which will host PSU in the regular-season finale Oct. 28, was 19th. Barraco may or may not be playing her final season at PSU. A four-year starter, she could potentially return next fall thanks to the eligibility freeze that the NCAA put in place in 2020, but she isn't sure whether she wants to use the bonus year. She's studying for the medi- cal college entrance exam and is looking at graduate schools. For now, the kinesiology major is striving to ensure that she makes the most of her academic and athletic op- portunities at Penn State. Said Barraco, "Keeping the two things separate is what helps at excelling at both." ■ Olympic Sports Notebook WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY: The 14th-ranked Nittany Lions stunned No. 2 Wisconsin 4-1 in their season opener Sept. 22 at Pegula Ice Arena. Freshman forward Tessa Janecke scored twice for PSU, and sopho- more goalie Josie Bothun made 27 saves, helping the Nittany Lions battle back after surrendering a goal on a shorthanded rush early in the first period. "Since last season, the players have worked incredibly hard on culture and what they want to accom- plish this year," head coach Jeff Kampersal said. "It's not going to go perfectly for us all season, but this is a great start." It was Penn State's first-ever victory over a top-five opponent and only the second win by a member of the College Hockey America conference in 52 games against the Badgers. Kampersal was right, however, when he noted that the season isn't going to go perfectly for PSU. In the second game of the two-game series, the Badgers roared back for a 9-1 victory. WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Ninth-ranked Penn State had opened its season with 12 consecutive wins and was one of only four unbeaten teams left in the country, but it fell hard to Michigan on Sept. 24, losing 3-0 to the unranked Wolverines at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions hit .105 as a team in falling 25-19, 25-17, 25-19. Heading into the match, they had won 54 of 59 matches all-time against Michigan and 29 of 30 at Rec Hall. The Lions had opened the Big Ten season with a sweep of visiting Indiana the previous night. Junior middle blocker Allie Holland had 7 blocks, while sophomore libero Cassie Kuerschen totaled 10 digs to help PSU earn its fourth consecutive sweep. MEN'S SOCCER: Junior forward Liam Butts sent a header past Akron's goalkeeper in the final minute of the first half, lifting Penn State to a 1-0 victory over the 15th-ranked Zips on Sept. 25 at Jeffrey Field. Sophomore defender Tyger Evans assisted on the winning goal, and Penn State's senior keeper Kris Shakes made 4 saves to earn his 14th career shutout in a game that was interrupted for an hour by a thunderstorm. "I think it was our best outing of the season," coach Jeff Cook said. "Our guys were strong and deter- mined from the start and coming back from the delay. We need to build on this now." Penn State improved to 4-2-2 overall and was 1-0-1 in Big Ten play heading into a nonconference match Sept. 28 at Villanova. WOMEN'S SOCCER: The 17th-ranked Nittany Lions dealt No. 4 Rutgers its first loss of the season, win- ning 2-0 at Jeffrey Field on Sept. 22. Redshirt senior forward Ally Schlegel and super senior forward Pe- nelope Hocking scored for Penn State, while senior Katherine Asman totaled 6 saves to keep the Scarlet Knights off the scoreboard. "It feels pretty amazing," Asman said. "We came in knowing that we could absolutely compete with them. This was knowing that if we played Penn State soccer, we would be able to absolutely outplay them and get a win at Jeffrey tonight." The Lions followed up that victory with a 5-0 shutout of Illinois three days later. Hocking scored twice for PSU, which improved to 7-1-2 overall and 2-0-1 in Big Ten play. — Matt Herb Sophomore goalie Josie Bothun made 27 saves to help the Penn State women's ice hockey team defeat second- ranked Wisconsin 4-1 in its season opener. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS

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