2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship Schedule & Results
No. 14 Pennsylvania State University-vs.-No. 11 Texas A&M University Scoresheet
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Julia Johnson (Fr., Houston, Texas) scored four times to claim Player of the Game honors as the No. 11-ranked/Texas Division Champion Aggies of Texas A&M University outscored No. 14/Mid-Atlantic Division runner-up Pennsylvania State University 3-1 over the final seven minutes to claim a 9-8 victory and a spot in the Ninth Place game at the 2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship.
The win advances the Aggies into a Ninth Place game showdown at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 7, at the University of Pittsburgh’s Joe C. Trees Pool against the victor of a consolation game pitting North Atlantic Division Champion the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and host/No. 10/Mid-Atlantic Division Champion Pitt. Pittsburgh’s position is unique as the Panthers took over the spot of Heartland Division Champion Washington University of St. Louis due to the Bears being unable to attend any game on the final day of competition due to travel issues. Washington will complete its participation at the tournament this evening at 8:40 p.m. against No. 16/Rocky Mountain Division Champion the University of Utah in one of two 13th/15th place games that originally included the Panthers prior to the switch.
Penn State controlled the pace of the game for the first three quarters of play as Alex Stickler (Sr., Mechanicsburg, Pa.) put the Nittany Lions in front by stroking in a penalty shot (6:05) and an even-strength tally (3:24) in the first four minutes of the first quarter to stake PSU to a 2-0 lead.
Following a goal by Angela Kelley (Fr., Houston, Texas) with 1:12 remaining in the opening quarter to chop the Nittany Lions’ lead in half, Veronica Hadley (Sr., Dallas, Texas) posted the equalizer with 6:32 left in the second quarter to balance the scoreboard at two-all.
Penn State went back in front twice over the duration of the first half as Clare Washabaugh (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) made it 3-2 at 3:49 prior to Johnson registering her first strike of the contest at 3:26 to pull the Aggies even at two-all. Emily Argentati (So., Reading, Pa.) placed PSU back into the lead prior to intermission by sweeping in a shot with 1:06 on the clock to make it 4-3 at the break.
The lead held up until the 6:02 mark of the third quarter when Johnson torqued in her second tally to once again balance the board at four-all.
PSU regained the lead once again as back-to-back markers by Argentati (man-up, 5:46) and Washabaugh (even-strength, 4:53) to provided the Nittany Lions a two-goal lead at 6-4.
Texas A&M attempted to rally back as Johnson cashed in on a man-up bid at 4:31, but Shannon Quinn (Fr., Lansdale, Pa.) reclaimed a two-score spread for Penn State with a power-play conversion of her own at the 4:08 mark to keep the Aggies down 7-5.
Linden Overbey (So., Cypress, Texas) chipped the lead back to one prior to the conclusion of the third quarter as she fired in a tally with 53 seconds glowing on the clock to inch Texas A&M within 7-6 going into the decisive fourth quarter.
It took the Aggies 55 seconds to collect the tying goal as Hadley knotted the score at seven-all with 6:05 remaining in regulation. Following a misconduct for violence to PSU’s Ashley Southwick (Fr., Reading, Pa.) with 5:10 to go, Johnson concluded her day and gave Texas A&M its first lead at 8-7 with 5:02 remaining.
Quinn brought PSU back to tie the score at eight-all by converting on a man-up chance at the 2:38 mark, but Hadley played hero by completing a hat-trick and burying the game-winner at the 1:29 mark for the deciding factor in allowing the Aggies to make the Ninth Place game.
Hadley finished with a hat-trick, while Kelley and Overbey both registered solo strikes. In cage, Madeline McMillan (Jr., Plano, Texas) accumulated three saves in taking the victory.
Washabaugh, Argentati, Quinn and Stickler accounted for the Nittany Lions’ offense as the quartet each registered two goals. Sofia Viebranz (Fr., Erie, Pa.) stopped three shots between the pipes in taking the loss.
The defeat drops Penn State into the 11th Place game as the squad will take on the loser of the Pitt-MIT game at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 7. A PSU-Pitt 11th place game would be a clash of the Mid-Atlantic Division’s two best teams as the Panthers downed the Nittany Lions by an 8-7 count at West Chester University in the 2017 division title game.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | Final |
| No. 11 Texas A&M University | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | 9 |
| No. 14 Pennsylvania State University | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 8 |
Penn State Goals: Clare Washabaugh (2); Emily Argentati (2); Shannon Quinn (2); Alex Stickler (2)
Texas A&M Goals: Julia Johnson (4); Veronica Hadley (3); Angela Kelley; Linden Overbey
Saves: Penn State – Sofia Viebranz (3) ; Texas A&M – Madeline McMillan (3)
Exclusions: Penn State – 8 ; Texas A&M – 8
Advantage Opportunities: Penn State – 4-for-8 ; Texas A&M – 2-for-8
Sprints: Penn State – 1-for-4 (3rd) ; Texas A&M – 3-for-4 (1st, 2nd, 4th)
Cards: None
Misconducts: Penn State – Misconduct for Violence (Ashley Southwick, 5:10 left in 4th Q)
Officials: Michael Schofield, Jay O’Neil
Pennsylvania State University’s Clare Washabaugh tries to get around Sophia Hibbler of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University’s Julia Johnson aims for an opening against Pennsylvania State University
