No. 14 Penn State got goals from Cooper Cutchins and Lilly Holmes and seven saves from Aby Deverka. Northwestern still shares the Big Ten regular-season title and, by its own account, keeps the top seed and a bye in the conference tournament.
The result, goals, assists, shots, saves, cards and attendance come from the official box score on Penn State's athletics site. Rankings come from the NFHCA poll released Oct. 27. Northwestern's streak, title and seeding statements come from Northwestern's recap and are attributed to it. The "second win over a No. 1 team" claim is Penn State's and we did not verify it independently. Opinion is labeled.
No. 14 Penn State field hockey beat No. 1 Northwestern 2-0 on Friday, Oct. 30, at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex in University Park. Cooper Cutchins scored at 41:46 and Lilly Holmes at 57:56, according to the official box score. Penn State is 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten. Northwestern is 16-2 and 7-1. The rankings are from the NFHCA Division I coaches poll released Oct. 27, which put Northwestern first and Penn State 14th.
Neither team scored in the first two periods. Northwestern outshot Penn State 9-6 and had three penalty corners to Penn State's two, and Deverka made seven saves for the shutout. Penn State's recap says two of those saves came on Northwestern's second corner of the third period. Cutchins' goal came later in that period. The recap says it followed a Penn State corner, a shot that Northwestern saved and a rebound. The box score credits Sienna Dunn and Ella Gaitan with the assists.
Penn State had to hold on in the fourth. It was given a green card at 49:29 and a yellow at 52:03. The school's recap says the yellow left it a player down for five minutes and gave Northwestern a penalty corner, and Northwestern did not score. Northwestern goalkeeper Juliana Boon, who made four saves, was pulled with 4:43 left, per the box score. Holmes scored with Boon out of the cage, on a penalty corner, at 57:56, assisted by Cam Standish, per the box score. Northwestern's recap also says Boon was out of the cage. Penn State's recap called it Holmes' first goal of the season. All six Penn State shots were on goal, and two went in.
Deverka was credited with the win and Boon with the loss. Attendance was 812. That is the largest crowd in any of Penn State's 10 home box scores this season on the school's schedule page. The next largest was 757 against Ohio State on Oct. 16, and the others ranged from 310 to 642. The Virginia opener lists an attendance of zero. Penn State's recap calls the result its second victory over a No. 1-ranked team in program history. We did not check the program record independently.
Northwestern said the loss was its second of the season, both on the road to ranked teams, and its first in Big Ten regular-season play since Oct. 8, 2022. Northwestern also said it shares the 2026 Big Ten regular-season championship with Maryland, is the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Ten Tournament and has a bye into the semifinal, which is Nov. 6 in Columbus. The Big Ten's standings after the game show Northwestern and Maryland at 7-1 and Penn State third at 6-2.
Penn State's tournament game is listed for Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Buckeye Varsity Field in Columbus. The school's schedule page lists a 5 p.m. ET quarterfinal against Iowa, which beat Penn State 1-0 in Iowa City on Oct. 25. Penn State's recap says opponents and times are still to be announced, so check before relying on either. Opinion: the win does not take anything from Northwestern's title share, seed or bye, so what it gives Penn State is a result to carry into Wednesday and not a better position.
Richmond 79, Temple 53. The Spiders scored the first 14 points in a building Temple hadn't played in for four years, on the night it turned 100. One week after a 17-0 start, the Owls had as many turnovers as made field goals.
Halftime was 54-31. Final was 97-93. Penn State set a program free-throw record at 43 of 49 and still watched Anigbata's three cut it to one possession with under a second left. Credit the free throws. Do not hide the second half. Pitt is next.
Burton was the purchase: 42.5 percent on 76 threes at Stephen F. Austin. He led La Salle with 15 points and four threes in the Houston opener. Volume is not a clinic. Homecoming against LIU is where the bet has to look real at home.
Last year Temple beat George Mason in overtime. This year Turner goes for 21 with five threes on the road and the Owls lose by 20. Credit her night. Do not hide the boards or the score. Navy at home is the next read.
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