Carey Maser and the fifth-ranked defense in the country in Penn State will head down to College Park, Md. for the NCAA Tournament.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; November 7, 2006 - The Penn State field hockey team, ranked sixth in the country, will make its 23rd all-time NCAA Tournament appearance when it travels to College Park, Md. to face North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The Nittany Lions were awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and will have a rematch with the Tar Heels on Saturday, whom Penn State topped 2-1 back on October 13 in University Park. Game time will be at 2:00 p.m. at the University of Maryland's Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex. Host Maryland will take on Richmond at 11:00 a.m.
Penn State will be making its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its fourth in the last five years. In each of the last three NCAA appearances, the Nittany Lions have been sent to College Park, first in 2003, then last year and now this year. The Nittany Lions defeated Princeton in the first round in 2003, which was also their last NCAA Tournament win, before losing to Maryland in the second round in '03 and to American in the first round last year.
Penn State is ironically tied for second in the nation with North Carolina in all-time NCAA Tournament appearances with this being both programs' 23rd appearance behind only Old Dominion's 26.
Natalie Blasco and the Penn State field hockey team will make their 23rd all-time NCAA Tournament appearance, tied for the second-most in the country. |
The Nittany Lions, who were one of three Big Ten teams to earn an NCAA bid, will enter the tournament with a 15-5 overall record. Penn State is currently ranked fifth in the country in goals against average at 1.04.
Penn State earned one of its biggest and most important wins of the season against North Carolina just under a month ago. After falling behind to the Tar Heels 1-0 just over two minutes into the game, the Lions rallied and tied the game on Mallory Weisen's goal at the 15:37 mark off a penalty corner and then scored what be the eventual game-winner at the 26:00 mark on Britney Long's goal from Shaun Banta. The win was Penn State's first win over an ACC school in its last eight tries and the Tar Heels were also the highest-ranked team that Penn State has beaten this year.