Oct. 30, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State sophomore Tara Davies (Cape May Court House, N.J.) earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for her tenacious effort this past weekend in two Big Ten wins. Davies drew tough assignments in both the shutout vs. then-No. 4 Purdue as well as the 2-1 victory over Indiana. Her outstanding performance in both tests earned the first Big Ten weekly honor of her career.
Facing two of the top three teams in the conference, Penn State's coaching staff called on Davies to shut down the top threats on both squads. Davies frustrated the opposing forwards, mostly marking one-on-one, stifling the opponents' attack both days. The pair of victories helped Penn State back into the top spot in the conference and put the team in place for a possible 10th-straight Big Ten title. This year, she has been part of a defense that has pitched nine shutouts and is allowing only 0.54 goals per game for their opponents.
Davies is Penn State's fifth Big Ten Player of the Week this year.Previously, Katie Schoepfer (Waterford, Conn.), Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.), and Zoe Bouchelle (Cockeysville, Md.) each received recognition at least once.
No. 7 Penn State travels to Ohio State this weekend for a 7:30 p.m. kick-off with the Buckeyes. The Nittany Lions are at the top of the Big Ten standings heading into the last weekend of conference play. A win would ensure PSU's 10th-straight Big Ten championship. The Nittany Lions (8-1-0 Big Ten) currently lead the Boilermakers (7-1-1) by two points in the standings.
--NITTANY LIONS--