After an incredible comeback to open up the 2026 season against the No. 5 Virginia Cavaliers fell just short of netting the Penn State field hockey team a massive upset victory, the Nittany Lions have gone on a three-game winning streak.
Their 8-0 win over Lock Haven was their first victory under new head coach Hannah Prince, and they followed that up with a 2-0 win over Villanova and then a 2-1 win over Delaware this past weekend.
It's the win over Delaware that really stands out, because Penn State managed to do something that they had not done at any point in their 15 most recent contests leading up to that game, dating back to September 2025: win a game in which they allowed a goal.
Penn State gets first non-shutout win in nearly a year
Prior to the Delaware game, Penn State's five most recent victories were shutouts. Every single time they allowed even one goal during that stretch (10 games), they went on to lose.
There's nothing wrong with shutouts, especially with just how exceptionally well junior goalkeeper Aby Deverka and the rest of the defense have played this year. But if Penn State is to return to the Big Ten Tournament and clinch their first postseason berth since 2023, they're going to have to find ways to win games when the other team scores.
A year ago, they lost four late leads, with the final three of those outcomes turning from potential wins to losses. It didn't matter who scored first; when their opponents scored at all, things unraveled. In some cases, they unraveled fast.
It appeared that that might be the case again this year, after Virginia took a 3-0 lead into the fourth quarter. But after the fight Penn State showed in that game to force overtime, it was beyond clear that this team isn't intimidated by whatever is on the scoreboard.
The Virginia game obviously didn't end up in the win column, and it's true that Penn State never actually trailed against Delaware; they are indeed still searching for their first comeback win since 2024 (13 consecutive losses when trailing at any point).
But as much as it seems like some quirky footnote, you can't undersell the significance of Penn State finally ending their uncharacteristically long streak of not being able to win games when the opponent has scored more than zero times.
Yes, they beat Delaware 3-2 early last year too, but let's not pretend like the Blue Hens are an easy opponent.
Aside from Lock Haven, Penn State has beaten both Villanova and Delaware this year. Villanova beat Delaware, Delaware beat No. 18 Monmouth, Monmouth blew the doors off of No. 17 Rutgers, Rutgers beat No. 12 Syracuse, Syracuse beat Ohio State, and Ohio State beat No. 5 Virginia, whom Penn State took to overtime after overcoming an early three-goal deficit.
It's parity. Anybody can truly beat anybody, and when it comes to Big Ten play, that will probably be even truer there than it is out of conference.
You simply cannot definitively say that there is a team Penn State is incapable of beating. The Nittany Lions are winning the games they're supposed to win, and they're doing it despite the fact that their opponents are better than advertised.
And they're finally doing it even when they're not notching shutouts.
A year ago, Penn State upset Saint Joseph's, then coached by Prince, to give the Nittany Lions their first win over a team that was in the previous year's National Championship game since 2021. They are set to have a chance to beat the reigning national runners-up again this Sunday, with the No. 4 Princeton Tigers scheduled to visit State College.
B1G+, Big Ten Network's subscription streaming service, is set to provide live coverage beginning at 12:00 p.m. ET. Princeton beat Penn State 6-1 in 2025, with Joji Purdy scoring late for the Nittany Lions to prevent the shutout.
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