UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. October 22, 2005 - The No. 6 Nittany Lion field hockey team handed No. 9 Ohio State its first shutout of the year, blanking the Buckeyes, 2-0, in the Lions' home regular season finale. The win, combined with No. 7 Indiana's loss at No. 11 Iowa today, gives Penn State at least a share of the Big Ten Championship. Penn State and Indiana clash on Friday in Bloomington, and if Penn State wins, the Lions will capture the title outright. The win was a big one in more ways than one: With the victory, Penn States extended its win streak to a program-record 16 games, surpassing the previous record of 15, set in 1993. The Championship is the team's fourth since joining the conference in 1993. Both Penn State and Indiana entered this weekend with identical 4-0 records in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers fell at Iowa, 2-1, in overtime, and will meet Penn State with a 13-2, 4-1 record. With today's win, Penn State moves into sole possession of first place with a 16-1, 5-0 mark. The Lions attacked early to get on the board first. Annelise Legel (Morgantown, Pa.) slapped a shot inches from outside the top of the circle that Ali Scola (Hummelstown, Pa.) tipped in for the score in the seventh minute. Penn State held steady for nearly the rest of the first half and then pushed the score up to 2-0 when the officials called a foul and awarded a penalty stroke to the Lions. Head coach Char Morett inserted penalty stroke specialist Mallory Weisen (Middleburg, Pa.) who fired the shot past Ohio State goalkeeper Lindsay Williams for the score at the 33:35 mark. Neither team scored in the second half as Penn State tallied its Big Ten-leading ninth shutout this year. Penn State attempted eight shots in the game to Ohio State's seven. The Lions also held and 8-6 edge in penalty corners. Senior goalkeeper Megan Akstin (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) tallied her seventh full shutout of the year, while the Penn State defense held the Big Ten's leading scorer, Lucy Clayton, to three shots, none on goal. Penn State also closed out its first perfect home season since 1998. Along with Ohio State, the Lions defeated Lock Haven (4-1), Connecticut (3-1), Villanova (3-1), Saint Joseph's (6-1), West Chester (6-0), Northwestern (6-2), Syracuse (3-0), Michigan State (2-1) and Bucknell (6-0) at home this year to finish with an umblemished 10-0 record at brand-new Astroturf Field. The Lions have a week to prepare for No. 7 Indiana on Friday. After facing the Hoosiers, Penn State heads to No. 4 North Carolina for a Sunday game. The Big Ten Tournament is in Iowa City, Iowa this year from Nov. 4-7. For more information on Penn State athletics and Nittany Lion field hockey, visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
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