STATE COLLEGE — It doesn’t matter what high school sport you play, it is never an appealing prospect to travel to Pittsburgh for weekend games against Pine Richland and North Allegheny.
Yet, that’s what the State College field hockey team did on Aug. 28 and 29, and the Lady Little Lions came back home with two impressive wins.
On Friday night at Pine Richland, the Lions held the Lady Rams scoreless for the final three quarters in a hard-fought, 3-1 victory in the opener for both teams.
Then on Saturday afternoon, the Lady Lions outshot North Allegheny 31-4 in an 8-0 washout of the Lady Tigers that started the State College season with its second straight win.
At Pine Richland on Friday, the Rams scored first just two minutes into the second quarter, but State College sophomore Brynn Pezalski tied it up six minutes later with an unassisted goal.
One minute later, State College’s Olivia Walther gave the Little Lions the lead with an unassisted goal that gave her team a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
The second half featured a flawless Lion defense that held Pine Richland to no goals and just three shots, while Walther scored again, this time just after halftime and assisted by Sadie Kocher.
State College goalkeeper Cora Bierly did make two saves, but the State College defense kept the Rams away from the goal all night.
The next day, at North Allegheny, Pezalski scored three goals — two in the first quarter — Walther scored two and Kocher scored two as the Lions opened up in an 8-0 win over the Tigers.
Pezalski scored at the 11-minute mark and then at the 5-minute mark to give State College a 2-0 lead.
Kocher and Walther scored in the second period to make it 4-0 at halftime, and then Walther, Pezalski, Kocher and Emme Antunez all scored in the second half in the 8-0 rout.
The State College defense and goalie Bierly were flawless again as Bierly had a save and NA managed just three shots on goal.
So far for the season, Pezalski has four goals, Walther has four and Kocher has two and an assist.
State College will next open its home season against Susquenita on Thursday, Sept. 3 on Memorial Field at 6:30 p.m.
