March 11, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 15 Penn State women's lacrosse team (4-1) will aim to get back into the win column on Saturday afternoon when it travels to face Ivy League power No. 7 Princeton (2-1) in a 1 p.m. contest at the Tigers' Class of 1952 Stadium in Princeton, N.J.
Last weekend, the Nittany Lions suffered a tough 12-11 overtime setback to then-No. 2 Virginia in Charlottesville. The Nittany Lions held an 11-5 lead with 17 minutes remaining but could not hold off a furious comeback by the Cavaliers. Virginia scored the game's final seven goals, including the overtime game winner with just 52 seconds remaining. Junior Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.) led the Penn State attack with three goals, all in the first half. Junior goalkeeper Stephanie Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) had her best game as a Nittany Lion, registering a career-high 14 saves against a barrage of 36 shots in 66 minutes of play.
Princeton is no stranger to heartbreak after being dealt a 13-12 narrow loss to No. 4 Duke in Durham in its last outing. The Tigers started the season with two home wins, defeating Johns Hopkins, 13-9, and Rutgers, 9-8. Like Penn State, Princeton employs a balanced approach on offense with seven players scoring multiple goals, led by sophomore midfielder Lizzy Drumm and junior attacker Kristin Morrison with six. Seniors Holly McGarvie, a First Team All-American in 2008, and Christine Casaceli are the Tigers' top point scorers, tallying nine and eight, respectively. Senior Marie McKenna, a Second Team All-American last season, headlines the Princeton defense.
Penn State possesses a 12-18 record in its all-time series with Princeton. The Nittany Lions have won the last two meetings on the road, topping the Tigers, 14-13, in double overtime in 2005 and 8-7 in 2007. A year ago, PSU dropped a nail-biter, falling, 7-6, in the first game at Bigler Turf Field since 2005.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Princeton match-up on the Internet for with live stats and instant scoring updates. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Next week, the Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for a two-game home stand starting on Wed., March 18 when they host No. 5 Penn (4-0) in a 7 p.m. game. Penn State is 9-5 all-time versus the Quakers but has dropped three straight in the series, including last season's 14-7 setback in Philadelphia. On Sun., March 22, the Lions will kick off American Lacrosse Conference play when it welcomes No. 10 Vanderbilt (2-3, 0-1 ALC) to University Park for a noon game. Penn State has won six of 11 all-time meetings but has lost the last two match-ups by a total of five goals. Fans should check back to www.GoPSUsports.com for an announcement regarding the location of next week's games.