April 9, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's lacrosse team (3-8, 0-1 ALC) will complete an odyssey that has seen it face three of the nation's top 10 teams within a span of nine days when it takes on ALC rival and No. 1-ranked Northwestern (12-0, 2-0 ALC) on Sun., April 13 in a noon match-up at Bigler Field.
Last weekend, the Nittany Lions traveled to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the annual ALC/ACC Challenge and suffered setbacks to No. 3 Maryland and No. 9 North Carolina. Versus the Terrapins, PSU came heartbreakingly close to pulling off a major upset but fell 12-11 in triple overtime. Junior midfielder Kerry Shea (Baltimore, Md.) led Penn State with three goals and an assist. Against the host Tar Heels, the Lions fell behind in the first half and could not stage a second half comeback, dropping the game, 14-9. Senior midfielder Jessi Lieb (Villanova, Pa.) totaled five points in the loss on four goals and an assist.
After a slow start to the season, Lieb has come on of late and is displaying the skills that made her a Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List regular the last three years. The team co-captain leads Penn State in goals (18), points (24), ground balls (28), and draw controls (tie, 27). Junior Marisa Lozano (Pittsburgh, Pa.) is also become an offensive factor. After being inserted into the starting line-up versus Loyola, she has flourished, totaling eight points (7 goals, 1 assist) in the last three games. Senior Linsey Shea (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore Margo Josephs (Reisterstown, Md.) headline the Nittany Lion defense, combining for 18 caused turnovers.
Top-ranked Northwestern is the three-time defending national champion and this season has done nothing to belie its juggernaut status. The Wildcats' offensive numbers are staggering (193 total goals, 17.55 goals per game average). They have scored 21 or more goals four times and 14 or more in every game save one (vs. Georgetown). Hilary Bowen (43 goals, 10 assists), Danielle Spencer (36 goals, 4 assists), and Hannah Nielsen (24 goals, 30 assists) spearhead the NU attack. The Wildcat defense is equally formidable. Opponents have scored six or fewer goals on seven occasions and have totaled double-digit goals just twice. Junior goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop leads the ALC with a 6.32 goals against average.
Penn State is 4-6 all-time versus Northwestern and has dropped five straight meetings by an average of over 10 goals per game. The Nittany Lions' last win in the series came in 2003, a 12-7 victory in Evanston.
The Nittany Lions are back in action next weekend with games against two schools from the Buckeye State on the schedule. On Fri., April 18, Penn State will welcome first-year program Cincinnati (2-10) to Happy Valley for a 4 p.m. contest. The Lions will then visit Columbus, Ohio for a 1 p.m. match-up with ALC opponent Ohio State (7-5, 0-1 ALC) on Sun., April 20 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Penn State holds the advantage in its all-time series with the Buckeyes, possessing a 9-3 record, but OSU came out on top in the 2007 meeting at Jeffrey Field by a score of 9-7.