April 30, 2008
ALC Championship Notes
Championship Bracket
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the second consecutive year, the Penn State women's lacrosse team (4-11, 0-4 ALC) will take on rival Ohio State (10-7, 1-3 ALC) in an opening round contest of the American Lacrosse Conference Championship. The match-up between the postseason tournament's No. 4 and No. 5 seeds is scheduled for Fri., May 2 at 2 p.m. ET at host Northwestern's Lakeside Field in Evanston, Ill.
Should Penn State triumph, it will advance to play top-seeded and No. 1-ranked (tie) Northwestern on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. The Wildcats, which suffered their first loss of the season last weekend at Penn, have won an NCAA-record tying 40 consecutive home games. Earlier this year, Penn State nearly pulled an upset of then-undefeated Northwestern but fell by a narrow 13-12 margin at Bigler Field.
The 2008 ALC Championship title game will be played on Sun., May 4 at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live by CBS College Sports (formerly CSTV). The winner will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
Sophomore Erica Mihm leads the team in draw controls with 41 |
On Friday versus Ohio State, the Nittany Lions will look to repeat a feat achieved last year. In 2007, Penn State lost to the Buckeyes in the regular season but bounced back to claim victory over OSU in the first round of the ALC Championship. Two weekends ago, the Lions dropped a 17-12 decision to the Buckeyes in Columbus. Penn State owns a record of 9-4 in its all-time series with Ohio State.
Penn State enters Friday's match-up coming off a tough 10-8 Senior Day loss to Johns Hopkins in its regular season finale on April 26 at Jeffrey Field. The Nittany Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead and owned a 6-2 advantage at halftime but could not stem the tide of a second half Blue Jay rally. Senior midfielder Jessi Lieb (Villanova, Pa.) and sophomore attackers Mary LeNoir (Timonium, Md.) and Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.) each netted two goals to lead Penn State.
Ohio State also suffered a recent defeat at the hands of Johns Hopkins, falling, 13-12, on April 28 in Baltimore in its regular season finale. The Buckeyes' strong suit this season has been their high-powered attack, as it features six players with 20 or more goals. Kristen Slahor, an ALC Player of the Year candidate, leads the Buckeyes and the nation in assists with 60 while Brittany Zerhusen tops the team in goals scored (36) and points (69). Freshman Maghan Beaudrault tops the team in draw controls (27), ground balls (34), and caused turnovers (18). Kristen Gilwee (12 starts) and Annie Carruthers (3 starts) have split time in goal for Ohio State, combining for an 11.12 goals against average.
Fans can follow all of the Penn State women's lacrosse action at the ALC Championship on the Internet with live stats and instant scoring updates and with live webcast audio and video from Lakeside Field. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.