Penn State's win streak is in rare air, and the Big Ten title isn't out of the question

For the second consecutive game, the Penn State Nittany Lions field hockey team scored an "upset" victory in Big Ten competition, and we use that word loosely here because basing it strictly on the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll seems far too generous to the poll's weekly rankings at this point.

In other words, regardless of what the voters say, Penn State continues to prove everybody wrong.

Despite having the same conference record, a better overall record, a better RPI rank, and a better strength of schedule than the Hoosiers heading into Friday afternoon's contest in Bloomington, the Nittany Lions' first appearance in this year's poll was only enough to net them a rank that was six spots lower than Indiana at No. 19.

Nevertheless, they finished Friday's 60-minute contest one goal ahead of the No. 13 Hoosiers to move to 11-4 on the year and 5-1 in Big Ten play in their first season under head coach Hannah Prince, dropping Indiana to 9-5 and 4-2 in the process.

Penn State beats Indiana to extend win streak

Indiana scored what appeared to be the go-ahead goal to break the scoreless tie in the third quarter, but an official review resulted in the goal being correctly wiped off the board.

It marked the second time a Big Ten opponent has appeared to break a scoreless tie with the Nittany Lions this season, only for the goal not to count; the other occurred against Michigan State. Penn State flipped the script and went on to win both games by a score of 1-0.

Against Indiana, it was Lara Pyle who scored the eventual game winner for Penn State on a penalty corner opportunity that the Nittany Lions were awarded with just 2.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter, off of assists from Cam Standish and Lilly Holmes.

The sophomore from Australia had not scored any goals in her career entering the game against Ohio State one week prior, and now she has two goals, including the Indiana game winner, plus a shootout game winner against the Buckeyes to her name.

The victory is Penn State's eighth consecutive victory overall and their fifth straight in Big Ten play, after they had gone just 4-14 in their previous 18 Big Ten contests, dating back to the 2023 conference tournament. And the win streak is becoming impossible to ignore, regardless of what the polls suggest about where this team stacks up nationally and within the conference.

Penn State's win streak is among the program's best ever

Calling this win streak historic is no longer an exaggeration.

You have to go back to 2016, in a season that ultimately saw Penn State win what remains their most recent Big Ten Tournament championship, to find their most recent eight-game win streak.

The current streak is tied for the Nittany Lions' longest win streak since they won 12 in a row back in 2013, when they were ultimately crowned Big Ten regular season champions.

The current Big Ten winning streak of five games is also the longest since they won five consecutive games during their 2016 Big Ten Tournament-winning run, although that streak included three postseason wins. In terms of the regular season, Penn State hasn't been on this long of a conference win streak since winning five straight in 2013, and that was when the Big Ten schedule consisted of only six games.

That win streak was technically longer than five, as they also won three in a row to wrap up the 2012 regular season (plus two more to win the conference tournament championship). The 2012 season is the most recent season in which the Nittany Lions won both the regular season Big Ten title plus the tournament championship in the same year.

Penn State has not won more than five consecutive Big Ten games in a single season since going 6-0 in conference play back in 2005.

The victory over Indiana also brought the team to 3-0 on the road in Big Ten games this year, after they had gone 0-8 in such contests across the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined.

They had not won three consecutive regular season Big Ten road games since winning three in a row between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and they haven't won more than three in a row since between the 2005 and 2006 seasons, when they won four straight. The 2005 season had been the most recent season in which they won three straight in a single year. As a member of the Big Ten, they have never won four straight in a single year.

The victory was also Penn State's seventh shutout win and third Big Ten shutout win of the year; they've yet to allow a goal in a road Big Ten game this season. They had recorded just six shutout wins in their three previous seasons combined.

Seven shutout wins is the most since they earned eight total shutouts in 2022, with three coming in Big Ten play. But two of those eight shutouts came in the postseason. They hadn't previously earned seven regular season shutout victories since 2013, and they haven't earned more than seven since recording nine in 2008, en route to winning the Big Ten regular season title.

They haven't earned more than three Big Ten shutout wins in a single season since the 2020-21 season, when they earned four, but that was under a schedule that was modified due to pandemic-related restrictions, in which not all games against Big Ten opponents counted as Big Ten games. They haven't actually earned more than three conference shutout wins in a single season since 2008, when they earned four.

As far as three Big Ten shutout wins on the road in the same season? It hadn't happened since 1994, and it had never happened in three consecutive Big Ten road games since Penn State joined the conference.

Penn State's chance at the Big Ten regular season title

Penn State suddenly has an outside chance of winning this year's Big Ten regular season championship and being seeded No. 1 overall in the Big Ten Tournament, after they entered the season having not even qualified for the postseason since 2023.

They need to beat both No. 6 Iowa and No. 2 (soon-to-be No. 1) Northwestern to conclude the regular season to get to 7-1, and they need Maryland to drop one of their final two games of the regular season to either Indiana or Iowa for the Terps to finish 6-2.

Penn State is currently tied with Maryland at 5-1, but Maryland holds the head-to-head tiebreaker after their 4-1 win in State College back in mid-September.

Should Penn State, Maryland, and Northwestern all end up tied at 7-1, head-to-head wouldn't solve anything, since Penn State would have beaten Northwestern, Northwestern beat Maryland, and Maryland beat Penn State. But Penn State would not win that tiebreaker, due to the Big Ten's tiebreaker parameters.

Based on the point values awarded for regulation wins, overtime wins, overtime losses, and regulation losses, Northwestern is currently at 18 (six regulation wins) and could finish with no fewer than 20 if they reach seven wins.

Penn State is currently at 13 (three regulation wins, two overtime wins, one regulation loss) and could end up with no more than 19. As a seven-win team, Maryland could finish anywhere from 19 to 21.

Even if Northwestern were to somehow also lose to Rutgers and finish 6-2, Penn State would still need Maryland to lose another game, otherwise the Nittany Lions would lose the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Terps if they are the only two 7-1 teams.

Regardless of what else happens throughout the conference, a victory on the road against Iowa this Sunday would guarantee that Penn State at least remains mathematically eligible to win the Big Ten regular season title heading into their regular season finale against Northwestern on Friday, October 30.

This Sunday's Iowa game is set to be shown live on B1G+ beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET.

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