Hazleton, Pa. - The Nittany Lions fell for the third time in three games this season, taking a 5-1 defeat on there home field to Penn State Schuylkill on Thursday night.
Schuylkill out-shot the Nittany Lions 19-5 in Thursday's game despite Hazleton having numerous opportunities in their opponent's end of the field with several Hazleton turnovers resulting in tallies for the visiting squad. Schuylkill got on the board early in the game with two goals in the first ten minutes of play. In the fourth minute of action, Schuylkill's Nancy Le converted the game's first goal, a rebound score off a shot attempt by Zoe Gannon. Just five minutes later, Schuylkill's Brittney Bartasvage score the eventual game-winning goal on a corner kick from teammate Nia Bronson. Hazleton played much better defensively after the early flurry but failed to convert several opportunities on the offensive side of the field and as the half wound down, a late turnover led to a cluster of Schuylkll shots resulting in the their third goal of the half, coming off the foot of Nancy Le.
Coming out of the halftime break, Hazleton ramped up the energy on both sides of the field but a lapse allowed Schuylkill to score two goals in a hurry in the 53rd and 55th minute. After the quick burst of offense, the Lions responded with their first and only score of the game coming off a through-ball by freshman Kayla Hregician (Lehighton, Pa.), piercing the defense to find freshman Makenna Bankes (Weatherly, Pa.) for her first score of the season. Both teams would battle for the remainder of the game but the final 30 minutes of play would end in a stalemate with Schuylkill taking home the win by the socre of 5-1.
Next up: Hazleton is back in action on Wednesday, October 12 when the Lions travel to Penn State Brandywine for a 2:00 p.m. PSUAC matchup.