BERKELEY – The California field hockey team earned its first win against a top-five, nationally-ranked team since 2007 as Daniella Rhodes netted the game-winner in double-overtime to defeat No. 5 Penn State, 3-2, on Friday at Underhill Field.

"Today was a complete game," Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead said. "I think most people could see that from watching. We never hung our heads, we never got down. We defeated two cards and won in overtime playing six-on-five. I'm just so happy with their attitude and their belief. The sky is the limit at this point."

In the 73rd minute, Rhodes scored her 57th career goal on a redirect off a pass from Sophie Everette – the second of her two assists on the evening – to give Cal its first win over a top-5 team since October 27, 2007, when the Golden Bears defeated No. 4 Michigan 1-0 in Berkeley. The win over Penn State ended Cal's run of 12 straight losses against top-25 squads.
 
Cal (1-3) scored the game's opening goal on a strike from Kitty Baccanello less than three minutes into the contest. The goal came on the Bears' first penalty corner of the afternoon snapping a 0-for-24 skid on corners to begin the season.
 
Penn State (1-2) countered on a goal by Sophia Gladieux five minutes later. The two sides remained tied through two and a half quarters, leading to a frantic fourth quarter.
 
In the 56th minute, Holly Pears notched her first collegiate goal off the assist from Everett, giving Cal a 2-1 lead. The jubilation did not last long as Penn State got the equalizer 16 seconds later on a blast from Gladieux, her second of the night.
 
In the first overtime, the goalies stood tall. Cal's keeper Tina Jolly (1-3) turned back a blistering attack by the Nittany Lions by  notching three of her five total saves in the first overtime. Jolly's counterpart Brie Barraco (1-2) was equally stellar, finishing the night with nine saves, four of which came after the intermission.
 
The Bears outshot the Nittany Lions 19-12 overall, with Cal jumping out to a 10-3 advantage in shots in the first two periods. Barraco tallied five saves in the first half. In the second half, it was Penn State who applied the offensive pressure. The Nittany Lions had nine shots in the second half and first overtime but could only score the one goal by Gladieux.
 
"Merel (Hanssen), AJ (Anjana Pioch), and Kiki (de Bruijne) managed two very, very good players, which was part of the game plan," Onstead said. "It was a big ask. Kiki marked Sophia all game long, plus in overtime. Merel, AJ, and Sophie (Everett) had to share the midfield to try and contain the rest of their players. We pretty much knew that the main plays would come from Mackenzie Allessie and Gladieux. And when those two had even more space in over time, they were even more dangerous, but we dug down and got it done. I'm just extremely happy with their effort tonight."
 
Cal will return to action on Sept. 8 when it faces LIU in Hempstead, New York. The contest scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PT.
 
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