Suffocating Michigan Defense Leads 11-6 Win Over Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — In a rare lull during the action of Sunday’s game between Michigan and Penn State at Panzer Stadium, a yell could be heard from the Wolverines’ defensive end.

“What are we doing?” Taylor Cullen asked as she grouped her defensive teammates together following a near-goal by the Nittany Lions. You see, Michigan takes immense pride in keeping its opponents from scoring. The Wolverines take it personally.

So to allow Penn State to even come close? That was fuel on the fire.

Michigan (7-2, 2-0 Big Ten) rarely gave Penn State chances from there, spoiling the Nittany Lions’ senior day and first outdoor home game of the season with an 11-6 road win in front of 585 fans. Ava Class led the offensive efforts with four goals and one assist, and Elizabeth Johnson (seven saves) stopped a majority of the shots that managed to find their way to the cage.

Cullen caused two turnovers, and Grace Callahan brought in three ground balls.

“They’re just playing so well together as three seniors down there,” Michigan head coach Hannah Nielsen said about the trio of Callahan, Cullen and Jordyn Harrison, whose stick seemed to be in the way of every pass. “They make your life pretty miserable as an attacker.”

The Wolverines take pride in seeing their opponents finish games with a single digit on their side of the scoreboard. That wasn’t the case last week against USC, though letting up 11 to a conference rival — in a win, no less — is hardly a bad showing.

The defense took it that way and got back to fundamentals in the leadup to Penn State (9-2, 1-1).

“We just went back to the basics,” Harrison said.

When the basics are working, things go like they did in the second quarter. Penn State scored a pair to cut the deficit to 3-2 before Michigan added its response when Caroline Byrd scored with 1:05 left in the first quarter. Then Michigan upped the pressure, clogged up the middle and made entry passes next to impossible.

Those denials allowed Michigan to take pressure off any offense that looked about as good as it has all season in a five-goal second period. They were efficient, needing just eight shots in the quarter to up their advantage to 9-4 by halftime.

The Nittany Lions entered the break with the final two scores of the period, one from Kelly MacKinney and another from Emma Kelly.

“I think today, just overall, we did not have a good offensive day,” Penn State head coach Kayla Treanor said. “I think across the board, we didn’t have a great day. A lot of credit to Michigan.”

The Penn State defense rebounded nicely in the second half, allowing just two more goals as goalie Sydney Manning (eight saves) found her footing. Penn State matched Michigan’s offensive output in the second half by scoring twice in the fourth quarter, one off the stick off Hannah Hoyt and another from Payton Wainman.

Penn State went 0-for-4 on free position attempts and outside of a smooth goal by MacKinney off an inside feed from Delaney Radin in the first quarter, struggled in player-up situations.

After a 9-0 start, the Nittany Lions have now dropped two straight.

“Everything we preach is playing to the Penn State standard,” said Treanor, who was named the program’s head coach during the summer. “So that’s what we’re going to focus on. Not the results, but playing to our standard.”

Now on a four-game winning streak, Michigan is looking like every bit the national contender. Nielsen built a schedule tougher than ones of the past in an effort to challenge a younger team that came into this season looking to replace significant graduation hits.

The Wolverines have answered the bell. Nielsen acknowledged that it hasn’t been perfect, but perfect isn’t required.

“A Big Ten win’s a Big Ten win,” Nielsen said. “And we’re happy to get out of here with that.”