Penn State v Villanova FH

State College, PA - September 4, 2026: The Penn State field hockey team improved to 2-1 on the season Friday afternoon after winning a defensive battle against Villanova 2-0. It was the Lady Lions’ second shutout win in a row. They defeated Lock Haven 8-0 on August 30.

The teams battled it out defensively for almost three periods. Villanova seemed to control the tempo for most of the first half. In the third period, with 2:53 left, the Lady Lions took advantage of a penalty corner to get on the scoreboard.

After the ball was put in play, and subsequently passed toward Olivia Marthens, it bounced of her stick and got caught up under Villanova’s goalie Maddie Sears. A Villanova player stepped in to clear the ball but it ended up going off the stick of Penn State’s Sienna Dun toward Natalie Freeman. Freeman got the bounce and knocked it in to break the stalemate. Freeman took five shots in the game. It was her second goal the season.

In the fourth period, Penn State’s Josephine Purdy added a late goal. Freeman and Lara Pyle recorded the assist on Purdy’s goal. It was Purdy’s third goal of the season.

Penn State’s Morgan Snyder (Fleetwood, PA), a graduate of nearby Oley Valley High School, started for Penn State. Morgan played forty-one minutes in the game.

Penn State took thirteen shots on goal while Villanova took ten. Each team stopped four shots. Penn State had four penalty corners to Villanova’s three.

Penn State and Villanova field hockey have now met six times with Penn State winning every contest.

Penn State Head Coach Hannah Prince was hired in January 2026. She is a 2014 UMass graduate and recently coach at St. Joseph’s University where she was 64-24 in four years as a head coach. Prince’s success in mentoring and developing true student-athletes extends beyond just the field. During Prince’s four years as the leader at Saint Joseph’s, the Hawks tallied nearly 30 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National All-Academic Team honors and multiple CSC Academic All-District selections (Penn State Athletics).

During the week, it was noted by Penn State sports that their field hockey program is ranked the best in the country for field hockey attendance. Opening weekend saw 1,214 fans visit Penn State’s top notch field hockey complex. This comes as no surprise since they are centrally located in such a hotbed for field hockey. Traditionally, Pennsylvania has some of the best high school field hockey players and many of the top college field hockey programs have Pennsylvania players scattered throughout their rosters.

Penn State travels to the University of Delaware for their next game on September 6. They open their Big10 schedule against Maryland on September 17 at home.

Villanova, with the loss, fell to 2-1 on the season. The Wildcats will take on New Haven at home on September 6.

Penn State's Natalie Freeman (1) gets congratulated by teammates after scoring a goal in the third period of their game against Villanova on September 4, 2026 in State College, PA.