UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lion field hockey team (14-5), under the direction of veteran head coach Char Morett-Curtiss, is the No. 4 overall seed in the 2021 NCAA Field Hockey Championship Tournament and will travel to the University of Maryland, one of four sites, for the first and second rounds. The Nittany Lions will face Syracuse on Friday, Nov. 12, in the first round at 12 p.m.
Penn State enters the NCAA tournament with a 14-5 record and is coming off an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals this past weekend. The Nittany Lions opened the Big Ten Tournament with a 3-2 win over No. 6 Maryland and then fell to host No. 3 Rutgers in the semifinals, 2-1. Penn State has won six of its last eight games, including victories over No. 2 Michigan and No. 6 Maryland. Syracuse enters the tournament with a 13-5 overall record. The Nittany Lions own a 24-4-1 lead in the all-time series. The two teams have not met since 2014.
"We are excited to be a part of this championship tournament," said Morett-Curtiss. "We feel very good about where the season we've had to date, and it has put us in a position to be playing for a national championship. I'm so proud of this team and how these girls have grown and improved each week. The strength of the Big Ten conference has prepared us for the competition ahead and we are excited about our match-up with Syracuse."
Regional site host Maryland meets Virginia in the other half of this site's bracket. Friday's winners will meet each other on Sunday, Nov. 14, in the NCAA quarterfinals at 1 p.m. The quarterfinal winner will head to Ann Arbor, Mich., for the national semifinals hosted by the University of Michigan. The NCAA semifinals and title games will be on Friday and Sunday, Nov. 19 and 21.
Sophomore Sophia Gladieux (Boyertown, Pa.) leads Penn State with 36 points off 17 goals and two assists. Gladieux was a first team All-Big Ten selection and a member of the 2021 Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament Team. Junior Anna Simon (Hanau, Germany) was also a 2021 Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament selection after scoring all three goals in Penn State's win over Maryland in the quarterfinals. Simon has 33 points off 14 goals and five assists. Junior Mackenzie Allessie (Mount Joy, Pa.), also a first team All-Big Ten honoree, checks in with 30 points off nine goals and a team-best 12 assists.
Elena Vos (Grave, The Netherlands) has nine assists and was a second team All-Big Ten selection on defense. Senior Emma Spisak (Boiling Springs, Pa.) has 11 points off four goals and three assists. Junior goalie Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) has 83 saves, three shutouts and a .748 save percentage for the Nittany Lions this year, playing in all but one minute over the course of the campaign.
This will be Penn State's seventh NCAA appearance in the last decade alone and for the 29th time in Morett-Curtiss' 35 seasons at Penn State.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.
