Sept. 23, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 13 Penn State field hockey team will face its fifth ranked opponent of the season when it hosts No. 15 Princeton on Wednesday at 6 p.m. on the Field Hockey Field. Last season, Penn State defeated Princeton 5-1 on Sept. 5 in New Jersey. Allison Scola scored her first score of the 2007 campaign in what ended up being the game-winning goal of the season. Penn State, led by Britney Long's two goals, netted three tallies in the final 10 minutes.
The Nittany Lions won both of their contests this past weekend. Penn State flew past Georgetown, 6-0, as Christine Dudek scored her first two goals of the season. Two days later, the Nittany Lions came out on top against West Chester, 3-2. Amy Bonenberger scored the game-winning goal 52 seconds into the second half, and the Golden Rams were held to zero shots in the latter frame.
Princeton (4-1) picked up its first Ivy League victory Saturday when the Tigers stuffed Dartmouth, 4-0. Princeton has only lost one conference game in the past four seasons.
Penn State plays its first Big Ten Conference match Sunday at No. 16 Ohio State at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. Check local listings for details.
The Series vs. Princeton
Penn State holds a 22-3 advantage over Princeton in the all-time series between the two schools. The teams have faced each other in each of the last eight seasons, with Penn State winning the past eight contests, including in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002 en route to the NCAA championship game. Princeton's last win in the series came in 2000, when the Tigers defeated the Nittany Lions both during the regular season and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers' only other win in the series came in the second round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The series began in 1979 when Penn State topped Princeton in the first round of the AIAW National Tournament. Princeton is 2-3 against the Nittany Lions in playoff action. The Tigers have never beaten Penn State in University Park, Pa. Although, it has beaten Michigan here in the 2002 NCAA tournament.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
• Penn State doubled its scoring total for the season in Friday's 6-0 shutout over Georgetown. It added three more Sunday against West Chester.
• Freshman Jessica Longstreth leads the Nittany Lions with eight points. She, along with Amy Bonenberger, have three goals apiece.
• Goalkeeper Jen Beaumont is 14th in the nation with a 1.23 goals against average. She is 19th with a .778 save percentage.
• Penn State is fourth in the nation in penalty corners per game (9.57). It is 10th in shutouts (3), 11th in save percentage and 25th in scoring margin (1.0).
Penn State Stays at No. 13 in Poll
In the latest NFCHA poll, released Tuesday, Penn State remained at No. 13 in Division I field hockey after wins over Georgetown and West Chester. Princeton remained at No. 15 for the second consecutive week after beating Dartmouth. Wake Forest edged Syracuse for the top spot in the poll, while the Big Ten was well-represented by Iowa (6th), Michigan State (10th), Penn State, Ohio State (16th) and Michigan (19th).
Retro T-Shirts to be Given Away
Did you know Penn State's original colors were black and pink? Throw-back T-Shirts, in the school's former color scheme, will be given to the first 200 people in attendance of Wednesday's field hockey match against Princeton at 6 p.m.
Scouting the Tigers
• Princeton's only loss came to No. 4 Connecticut. The Tigers held a 2-0 lead, but eventually lost 3-2 in double overtime. Penn State lost 1-0 to the Huskies earlier this season.
• The Tigers feature a team which is heavy with depth. Kristen Holmes-Winn's squad returns 19 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year. The Tigers lost to Massachusetts in the NCAA play-in game last season. They have nine seniors on their roster.
• Similar to Penn State, Princeton plays a frugal defensive game. It has held opponents to 6.2 shots per game. The stiff defense, which has only allowed 21 shots on goal, has allowed goalkeeper Jennifer King to lead the nation in goals against average (0.29) and save percentage (.909).
• McGarvie was a first-team All-American in 2007. Bortz led the team with 32 points.
• Sharkey, McGarvie, Bortz and Reinbrecht each lead the Tigers with nine points apiece. Sharkey and Reinbrecht are 20th in the nation with 2.25 points per game.
• Princeton is fourth in the nation, as a team, in a number of categories: scoring average (4.41), goals per game (4.6), scoring margin (3.45) and points per game (12.4). The Tigers are fifth, just behind the Nittany Lions, in scoring margin.
Sunday's Game to be Televised
The Big Ten Network will televise Sunday's game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio at 4 p.m. The game takes place at 1 p.m., but it will be broadcast until 4 p.m. The event is the 2008 debut of Big Ten field hockey on the Big Ten Network. The BTN, in its second year of operation, will televise two of Penn State's field hockey games this season. Aside from Sunday's game, the Big Ten Network will come to University Park, Pa. on Oct. 10 to showcase the match-up against the Nittany Lions and No. 6 Iowa.