Feb. 22, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach Suzanne Isidor's No. 14 Penn State women's lacrosse team will open the 2008 regular season on Sun., Feb. 24 when it visits Temple (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10) for a 1 p.m. non-conference game at Geasey Field in Philadelphia. The contest is the first of a two game road stretch, marking the first time since 2002 that the Nittany Lions will open the season with back-to-back away games.
Penn State saw its first live action last weekend when the Nittany Lions scrimmaged Cornell to a 12-12 draw in Holuba Hall. Freshman midfielder Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) scored four goals and senior attacker Kim Kontson (Davidsonville, Md.) tallied four assists to lead Penn State. Eight other Nittany Lions recorded one goal each. Senior Jess Boccio (Northport, N.Y.) and sophomore Stephanie Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) split time equally in goal with Boccio starting the game. The duo combined for 12 saves.
The 2008 Nittany Lions will be headlined by team co-captains senior midfielder Jessi Lieb (Villanova, Pa.) and junior midfielder Kerry Shea (Baltimore, Md.). Lieb was a force for the Nittany Lions on both ends of the field a year ago, ranking among team leaders in goals (26), assists (13), points (39), ground balls (32), and caused turnovers (19). A speedy and aggressive midfielder, Shea ended the 2007 season as Penn State's leading goal scorer (27) and finished tied for second on the team in draw controls (23) and ground balls (32) and third in points (35).
The talents and exploits of Lieb and Shea have not gone unnoticed by college coaches and the national media, as they have garnered several preseason awards. Lieb, a two-time First Team IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-West/Midwest Region honoree, has been named to the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American Second Team and to the Tewaaraton Trophy Preseason Watch List for the third consecutive year. Both Lieb, a two-time All-ALC First Teamer, and Shea, a 2007 Second Team All-ALC choice, have been selected to the Preseason All-American Lacrosse Conference squad. As a team, Penn State was chosen to place fourth in 2008 in the ALC coaches' preseason poll.
Temple is coming off a 6-11 2007 season, including a 4-3 record in conference. This year, head coach Bonnie Rosen's Owls were selected to finish in third place in the Atlantic 10, as voted on by the league's coaches in their annual preseason poll. Recently, senior midfielder Hillary Richards, a IWLCA/US Lacrosse Regional All-American in 2007, was named a Third Team Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Senior attacker Nicole Caniglia is Temple's top returning goal scorer after netting 14 in 2007. Senior goalkeeper Bridget McMullan, who started all 17 games a year ago, compiling a 11.41 GAA, anchors the Owl defense.
Penn State possesses a 15-12-0 all-time record in games versus Temple, including a 5-2 mark under head coach Suzanne Isidor. In the Nittany Lions' 2007 match-up with the Owls, hat tricks by Lindsay Dutch, Kerry Shea, and Karen Long propelled PSU to a 17-5 steamrolling of Temple. Penn State's last visit to Temple, in 2006, resulted in a hard-fought 9-6 win.
The Nittany Lions remain on the road next week when they travel locally to Lewisburg, Pa. to take on Patriot League foe Bucknell on Wed., Feb. 27. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the home of the Bison, Graham Field. Last season, 13 different Nittany Lions netted goals in a 19-6 rout of Bucknell at Holuba Hall in University Park. Penn State opens its 2008 home schedule on Sun., March 2 when it hosts Colgate in a 1 p.m. contest.
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