Aug. 22, 2008
The 2007 season will be one to remember for years to come in the already rich history of Penn State field hockey. With a solid group of veterans, including a special group of six seniors, the Nittany Lions turned it on in the postseason, putting together an unforgettable run all the way to the national championship game. Although they fell short in their goal of winning a national championship, that group of Nittany Lions cemented their place in history as just the second Penn State squad to advance to the NCAA championship game, knocking off two of the top three teams in the country to do so.
This year, that outstanding senior class, except for one individual who has decided to return for her fifth year, has moved on. Some of the most familiar names and faces to be associated with Penn State field hockey over the past five years have departed after leaving their mark on the ever-growing Penn State field hockey tradition. Now, it is time for a new group to make their mark. Some already have made a statement as underclassmen while playing under the leadership of last year's group of seniors. Now, it is time for them to do so as leaders and upperclassmen.
Gone are such standouts as Shaun Banta (47 career goals, 111 points), last year's leading scorer Britney Long (14 goals), midfield standout and 2007 All-American Mallory Weisen and three-time All-American Kiersten Wood, along with is top reserve Natalie Blasco. Among that quintet are four of Penn State's top five scorers (Wood) and 105 of the 153 points scored last year by the Nittany Lion team (68.6 percent). The returning players also were responsible for just 11 of the team's 55 goals scored last year. This is in stark contrast to last year, when the Nittany Lions returned over 90 percent of both their goals and points scored from 2006. For the 2008 season, Penn State will return the players responsible for just 31.3 percent (48 of 153) of its points and just 20 percent of its goals (11 of 55).
However, despite the relatively low percentage of scoring that returns to the team, the Nittany Lions' strength in their returnees lies on the defense. Always a strong point of head coach Charlene Morett's teams at Penn State, the Lion defense will have the opportunity to be one of the strongest groups in recent history as a potent combination of talent and experience return to the Nittany Lions' back line. Chief among these returnees is goalkeeper Jen Beaumont, a fifth-year senior who decided to compete in her fifth year in 2008. She has been the starting goalkeeper for Penn State for the past two seasons and has played all but 10 minutes in the cage in those two years. Last year, along with the defense, she recorded two shutouts in the NCAA Tournament, blanking the potent offenses of both Maryland and Wake Forest to help the Nittany Lions advance to the NCAA Championship game. She ranks sixth in school history for career shutouts, led the Big Ten in that category last year, and ranked 13th in the country in goals against average. Sophomore Ali Meves and freshman Ayla Halus are the other goalkeepers on the roster.
Beaumont will have some of the best defenders in the Big Ten and country playing in front of her. The group is led by senior All-American Jen Long. A member of the U.S. Under-21 National Team for the past three years, Long trained with the U.S. National Team this past spring. The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last year, Long was also a first team All-American last season and for her career is a two-time All-American. She also led the team in assists last year with 12, serving as the usual stopper on penalty corners.
A trio of juniors comprise the remaining returnees on the back line. Laura Cahill is a two-year starter, as she entered the starting lineup just four games into her career and has not left it since. She has played primarily on the right side of the field in her first two years and she has a knack for cutting off passes by the offense and not getting beat by attackers very often. High school teammates Amy Bonenberger and Brooke Hoffsmith are the remaining half of the Penn State defense. Both played in all 24 games last year with Bonenberger starting 20 and Hoffsmith starting 18. After playing as midfield reserves as freshmen, both slid to the backfield last year and did well in their first full season of action.
Two other returnees also saw some time at back last year. Fourth-year junior Jen Miller saw an increase in playing time last year over the previous season and figures to see even more playing time this year. Sophomore Daneen Zug played some back as well as some midfield last year and will likely play both positions again this year. Redshirt freshman Lauren Alloway, who missed last year with a knee injury, is a versatile back and midfielder and should see a lot of playing time now that she is healthy this year. A trio of freshmen will also be in the mix for some playing time in the backfield. Casey McCartin, who also can play the midfield, as well as Kristen Schaefer and Alex Schlener are all backs.
The midfield sustained probably the heaviest losses of any position group on the field. Both Wood and Weisen anchored the midfield for the past four years while Banta, Britney Long and Natalie Blasco, the other departed senior, all rotated between forward and midfield throughout their careers. There are some definite holes to fill but the cupboard is not completely bare. Junior Bethany Marvel moved up to the midfield after playing back as a freshman and did well, starting all 24 games and recording five goals and 11 points, including the team's only hat trick of the year. She is the second-leading returning scorer on the team and the team's leading returning goal scorer. The team's leading returning scorer is also one of the team's most versatile players and spent most of her time in the midfield last year. Allison Scola, who had four goals, 11 assists and 19 points, was fourth on the team in scoring last year and has played all three field positions during her Penn State career and also has been a part of the U.S. Under-21 National Team for the past three years. She is a veteran of a pair of foreign tours with USA Field Hockey and will be one of the top players on the team in 2008.
Two sophomores who played the most of all of the freshmen on the roster last year will have an opportunity to get even more playing time in their second years. Jenny Purvis and Zug played in 14 and 12 games last year, respectively. While Zug played some back, Purvis also played on the forward line and both are very versatile. Brooke Hoffsmith can also played some midfield as can Lauren Alloway. Returnees Cindy Donald and Jordan Petchel are also midfielders while newcomers McCartin, Hannah Allison and Jessica Longstreth will also be in the mix for playing time in the midfield.
The forward position was also hit hard by graduation as the aforementioned Banta, Long and Blasco made a up a big part of the front line for the past three or four seasons. This year's forward line will be made up of three primary groups: returnees who have gotten some playing time but not played as much in the past couple of seasons while behind behind the departed seniors; other returnees that are versatile in that they can also play other positions; and newcomers. The returnees group is headlined by juniors Christine Dudek and Gina Bartolacci. Dudek played in seven games last year while battling through some injuries while Bartolacci saw action in just two games as she did the same. Both are now healthy and ready to contribute. Other returnees such as Bethany Marvel and Purvis can also play in the front line, as can newcomers Allison and Longstreth. Freshman Arielle Spadea, the only freshman this year from outside of Pennsylvania, brings a presence to the forward line for the Nittany Lions. An intriguing prospect, she also played goalie on her prep ice hockey team.
With a good mix of veterans and newcomers, the Nittany Lions will once again embark on a tough schedule in the 2008 season, particularly in the first couple of games of the season. The Lions will play eight games against NCAA Tournament teams from last year and two other games against teams that played in NCAA play-in games last year. Penn State will host nine home games, travel to seven away contests, and also play two neutral site games. Of Penn State's seven road games, only one non-conference contest is outside Pennsylvania and the Nittany Lions will only leave the Keystone State for four road games, three of which are Big Ten games. In addition to the nine home games, Penn State will play neutral site games at Ursinus College and West Chester University and will also visit intra-state foes Bucknell, Lock Haven and West Chester. This year's Big Ten Tournament will be held at Indiana for the first time ever.
Penn State's first three, and four of its first five games will come against NCAA teams from last year, including two vs. two against final four teams from last year. After a scrimmage versus annual power Duke, the Nittany Lions will open up the season against Old Dominion for the sixth straight season on August 30. This year's game will be held at a neutral site in Collegeville, Pa. Following the opening game, the Nittany Lions will host their home opener on September 2 against Maryland, whom the Nits picked up their first win against since 1993 with a 1-0 upset over the Terps in the NCAA quarterfinals last year. Penn State, which leads the all-time series against the Terps and has played its last nine straight NCAA Tournament games on Maryland's home field, will host Maryland and play the Terps for the first time in the regular season since 1995. After that, the Lions will travel to meet fellow 2007 final four team Connecticut for the 31st straight season on September 6. After a home game against Temple, Penn State will play its other neutral site game of the year against North Carolina at West Chester on September 13 in a rematch of last year's national championship game.
After the game versus North Carolina, Penn State will host Georgetown and defending Ivy League champ Princeton sandwiched around a game at West Chester. That all leads up to the Big Ten opener, which will be at Ohio State on September 28 and will mark the third straight year that the Nittany Lions have opened up their Big Ten schedule on the road. Penn State will then step back out of conference play for a pair of intra-state games against Lafayette and Lock Haven before hosting Iowa and then its third ACC opponent of the year in Virginia the weekend of October 10-12. After that, a road game at Bucknell followed by the last four Big Ten games of the year against Northwestern, Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State round out the regular season.
--NITTANY LIONS--