ITHACA, N.Y. -- Penn State outscored Cornell 11-3 after halftime, pulling away from the Big Red with its territorial advantage during a 20-11 victory on Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red fell to 2-1, while the Nittany Lions improved to 2-1.

The Nittany Lions won 22-of-34 draw controls, including all seven in the first quarter and 11-of-16 in the decisive second half.

Amanda Cramer had three goals, Katie Castiello had a goal and two assists and Shannon Brazier netted two scores to pace the offense. Katie McGahan made 13 saves over the first 56 minutes of action, but had to face nearly 40 shots thanks to the extra possessions that resulted in Penn State's draw dominance and 14 Big Red turnovers.

Cornell led 7-4 five minutes into the second quarter, but Penn State held a halftime lead despite scoring on its own goal as time expired going into the locker room.

Penn State took over in the third, pushing its lead to two just 1:44 into the second half en route to a 6-1 run that put the visitors in control. The lead ballooned to as many as nine goals in the final quarter.

Kristin O'Neil (5-1-6) and Taylor Regan (4-2-6) both hiad six-point outings for Penn State, while Meghan Murray scored four times and Kara Nealon was credited with four assists. Kayla Abernathy won eight of PSU's 22 draws, with Sammy Dupcak adding five along with three ground balls. Ashley Bowan made seven saves in in the final 40:15 after relieving Cayden Jarvis, who had three stops. Penn State held a 39-26 advantage in hots, including 21-11 in the decisive second half.
 

NEXT UP

• Cornell begins Ivy play when it visits No. 11 Princeton on Saturday, March 5 at 1 p.m. at the Class of 1952 Stadium.
• The Tigers lead the all-time series 41-5 and have won six straight.
• The Big Red's last two wins in the series, 2016 (in Philadelphia at the Ivy League Tournament) and 2012 (in Princeton) have both come in overtime.




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