Syracuse field hockey rallies late to edge Penn State 3-2 on Parents’ Weekend

On a sunny Family Weekend Sunday at J.S. Coyne Stadium, Syracuse field hockey extended its winning record to 8-2 and rallied with two goals in the final minutes to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions 3-2. The win came two days after the Orange defeated No. 7 Duke, completing a statement weekend against ranked opponents.

Syracuse controlled possession early, generating three penalty corners in the first quarter and dominating Nittany Lions goalkeeper Aby Deverka with shots. Despite numerous attempts on goal and two corner opportunities through the first 30 minutes, the Orange trailed 1-0 at halftime after Penn State forward Morgan McMenamin scored her first goal of the season in the 20th minute to give her team the lead.

At halftime, head coach Lynn Farquhar urged her players to reset and trust their chemistry. 

“We were knocking on the door,”  Farquhar said. Sometimes it can get frustrating, and you want to switch things up, but we had to trust our process.”

“We told ourselves we can control the game,” sophomore midfielder Hattie Madden said. “We had the ball a lot in the first half, but we just couldn’t find the frame. During halftime, we spoke to each other, we connected, and we told ourselves we could do this—and we did it.”

The Orange continued to press in the third quarter, again earning corners but failing to capitalize. Madden picked up a green card late in the game, forcing Syracuse down a player, but the defense held strong behind freshman goalkeeper Tane King.

Momentum shifted midway through the fourth quarter. After King denied a strong Penn State shot, Syracuse earned a penalty corner, and Madden redirected graduate defender Bo van Kempen’s shot into the cage to tie the game at 1-1. 

“When the corner got called, Bo Madden came to me and said, ‘just put it near the post,’” Madden said. “The ball was coming for my face, so I leaned back, stuck out my stick, and got a touch on it.”

Penn State quickly retook the lead on Joji Purdy’s fourth goal of the season, setting up a tense finish. 

But Syracuse answered quickly. 

With under two minutes to play, van Kempen buried her 17th goal of the year off a corner insertion from junior forward Pati Strunk and junior forward Lana Hamilton to even the score at 2-2. 

Just 60 seconds later, Hamilton netted her first career goal to give Syracuse its first lead of the afternoon at 3-2.

“Her growth is huge,” Farquhar said about Hamilton’s poise. “One of her teammates told her on the way back to the line that she was going to finish the game, and she did. Lana’s been showing up, and she’s a finisher.”

The Orange defense, rotating goalkeepers between King and junior Jessie Eiselin, locked down the closing seconds as Otto and the 390 fans in attendance erupted. 

Syracuse finished with 24 shots and nine corners, overwhelming Penn State’s 10 shots and four corners.

Farquhar credited the team’s belief and energy, which she said was fueled by alumni from the 2015 national championship team attending, including Olympian Alyssa Manley.

 “There’s amazing energy. We got some words of wisdom from alums, and it is definitely different when you believe in what you’re doing,” Farquhar said. “Sometimes you have to work through the storm to get to the other side, so I’m really proud of this group for coming together, stepping up, and finding a way to win.”

Madden agreed that the presence of alumni made a difference.

 “We had breakfast with them yesterday morning, and they were telling us stories about their team, and that really fired us up,” Madden said. “They were in the stands cheering and behind us on every play, and it just makes the energy electric.”

Both the coach and players emphasized that the team is still growing, especially with 17 newcomers. 

“The spirit is huge—it’s on the bench, it’s in the stands, it’s on the pitch,” Farquhar said. “The camaraderie between the group is already remarkable.” 

“Every year you get new people and new talent,” Madden said. “The new girls are fitting in so well, and our team will definitely grow from that.”

Looking ahead, the Orange face Colgate on Friday at 5 p.m. in a non-conference matchup for Senior Night. Farquhar said honoring the seniors is always meaningful. 

“Some have been here four years, some two, and some are grad students,” Farquhar said.” I give them all a tremendous amount of credit; what they’ve done and who they’ve become is what makes it so special.” 

While Friday’s game will be a special celebration for the team, Madden and the Orange are focused on continuing their strong season. 

“There is a huge group of seniors that are leaving; they’re all incredible players,” Madden said. “We’re only about halfway through the season, so they still have plenty of time to be seniors and continue to use their strength and experience.”