Oct. 4, 2009
MONDAY UPDATE: Meves, Amy Garner Big Ten Weekly Awards
- Complete Notes in PDF Format
- BTN VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM FRIDAY'S OHIO STATE WIN
- Big Ten Feature on Bonenberger, Hoffsmith
- Season Stats | Media Guide | Quick Facts | Archived Game Programs | Archived PDF Notes
- Get Live In-Game Updates Through The Penn State Field Hockey Twitter Page
#14 Stanford (10-1) at ORV Penn State (3-8)
Monday, October 5, 2009 • 4 p.m.
Penn State Field Hockey Complex, University Park, Pa.
Coverage: Follow all the action through Twitter
• Coming off its biggest win of the season thus far, the Penn State field hockey team looks to ride the momentum into Monday's showdown with No. 14 Stanford. Gametime is set for 4 p.m. at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.
• The Cardinal, who enter with an impressive 10-1 record, stand at No. 3 in the most recent RPI, only trailing Syracuse and Maryland. The squad is on a three-game Pennsylvania road swing, visiting Happy Valley after defeating Temple and La Salle.
• Monday is also a homecoming for Stanford assistant coach Mandy Robinson Hart, whose final season at Penn State was in 2000. She will return to her alma mater where she was an All-American in 1999. Hart is the second former Penn Stater to return this year; Mallory Weisen did so in the home opener as an assistant for Lock Haven.
• There will also be "Dollar Hot Dogs," so be sure to take advantage of this promotion!
• As always, be sure to check the Penn State field hockey twitter page before, during and after the game to stay updated on the Nittany Lions.
Important Parking Information
• Fans are reminded that all university parking regulations are in effect Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. You must have a valid university parking permit displayed to park in the surrounding lots. The following arrangements have been made for all visitors for field hockey games falling during regular business hours.
• Fans can park for an hourly rate in the east parking deck, located across from East Halls and accessed off of Bigler Road.
• Or fans can purchase a one-day visitor's permit valid for parking Lot 44, located on the east side of the Bryce Jordan Center and accessed off of Curtin Road.
• For more information, please visit the visitor's center on the other side of Beaver Stadium on Porter Road or call the parking office at 814-865-1436.
Ohio State Instant Classic To Debut on Big Ten Network Sunday
• Watch the broadcast of Friday's thrilling victory over Ohio State on Sunday (Oct. 4) at 4 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. It will also air on Monday (Oct. 5) at 12:30 p.m.
• Leah Secondo and Karen Weaver were on the call. The broadcast also includes a pair of exclusive interviews with Penn State head coach Charlene Morett.
Field Hockey To Be Featured On Big Ten Network
• Not only are two Penn State field hockey games scheduled for the Big Ten Network, but a number of features will be run on the network as well, starting on Monday, Oct. 5 at 2:30 p.m. • As part of the first episode of Penn State: Access Granted, redshirt sophomore Lauren Alloway and redshirt freshman Ayla Halus give fans an all-access tour of their facilities, plus a special trip to the Berkey Creamery!
• The show is scheduled to re-air on Oct. 8 (2 p.m.), Oct. 15 (1:30 a.m.), Oct. 20 (2 p.m.) and Oct. 28 (6:30 p.m.).
Bonenberger, Hoffsmith Featured On Big Ten Website
• Seniors Amy Bonenberger and Brooke Hoffsmith were recently featured on the Big Ten official website. The two have been teammates for eight consecutive years after suiting up together in high school. To read the article, please click here.
Freshman Kelsey Amy has started two straight games, both against conference foes. |
Amy "Fresh" When Needed Most
• Freshman forward Kelsey Amy continued her steady improvement by converting on her first-career goal at an opportune time on Friday.
• The native of Sweet Valley, Pa. showed her speed in overtime, leading to the low, hard shot that found the back of the cage.
• Amy's overtime game-winner marked the first time in well over 10 seasons that a Penn State rookie has netted an overtime game-winner. She is also the first freshman this century to do so. The "youngest" class that recently scored an overtime game-winner was a sophomore.
• The goal also extended an incredible streak of a different Penn State player scoring her first-career goal in every home game thus far. It started with Hannah Allison vs. Lock Haven (9/4) leading up to Casey McCartin (9/6), Alex Schlener (9/20) and Amy (10/2).
• Who's next? Lauren Alloway, Gina Bartolacci, Laura Cahill, Brooke Hoffsmith, Jen Miller, Jenny Purvis and Kristen Schaefer have yet to score a goal in their careers. They hope to continue the streak on Monday vs. No. 14 Stanford.
Don't Forget About Me!
• Not to be forgotten, Friday's game may not have reached overtime if not for the effort of junior goalkeeper Ali Meves. She kept the score tied with one incredible save after another, mostly in the second half and overtime.
• She finished with 11 stops, good for her second double-figure save performance of the season (and her career). They have come in two of her last three starts (also at Princeton on Sept. 23).
Additional Tidbits From An Instant Classic
• Friday was Penn State's fourth straight regular season win over the Buckeyes. The most recent loss came in the postseason, last year's Big Ten Semifinals.
• The Nittany Lions also extended their Big Ten home opening win streak to eight games.
• Overall, the Lions are 16-2 in their first Big Ten home game with the last loss coming in 2001.
Going Overtime
• Penn State already has two overtime games this season through 11 games.
• Last season, the Lions had two games go into an extra session which included the postseason.
• The squad has a chance to finish with the most overtime games since 1995 when there were six.
• Four games went to overtime on multiple occasions between 1995 and 2009.
• The school record for overtime games was seven in 1986. That included an incredible four straight overtime contests.
Home Cooking
• In four home games thus far, Penn State has posted a 3-1 record, outscoring its opponents 11-4.
• They have also outshot their four foes, 73-41. On the contrary, the Lions have been outshot, 109-52 away from home.
• The Nittany Lions are halfway through their home schedule, with four more games still remaining.
What's Next
• Penn State remains in Happy Valley for an extended homestand that spans two weeks.
• It hosts Northwestern in a Big Ten showdown on Friday at 6 p.m.
• The Lions then welcome Pennsylvania rival Bucknell on Tuesday (Oct. 13).
• They hit the road next for a showdown with Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 18, tape delayed on the Big Ten Network.
Redshirt freshman Hannah Allison unleashed a hard shot on Friday which led to Penn State's first goal of the game. |
Scouting Stanford
• The Cardinal have had a tremendous start to the season, winning their first eight games prior to their first loss (at California on Sept. 27).
• Overall, they stand at 10-1 with the wins coming against Missouri State (3-1), Northeastern (1-0), Kent State (7-1), Northwestern (3-1), VCU (3-0), Iowa (3-2), UC Davis (5-1), Pacific (5-1), Temple (7-2) and La Salle (4-0).
• Stanford embarked on a Pennsylvania road trip bringing it to Atlantic 10 squads Temple (Oct. 2) and La Salle (Oct. 3) before heading to Happy Valley on Oct. 5.
• Leading the offensive attack is Jaimee Erickson with 16 points (5g, 6a) followed by Midori Uehara (15 pts: 7g, 1a), Becky Dru (15 pts: 6g, 3a), Rachel Mozenter (14 pts: 7g) and Xanthe Travlos (12 pts: 5g, 2a). Eight others have recorded points, including a team-high eight assists from Nora Soza.
• Alessandra Moss has seen all the time in goal, posting a 1.18 GAA and .772 save percentage which includes three shutouts.
The Series With Stanford
• Two storied athletic programs have only met one time in field hockey, a Penn State victory.
• The one contest came in 1995, a 5-0 final in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game was held at University Park.
• Stanford is one of only three California teams that the Nittany Lions have faced all time, the other two being California (3-0 record) and Long Beach State (1-1).
• Penn State does face Pacific for the first-ever time in a neutral site game at Indiana on Oct. 24.
New Foe = New Conference
• After playing eight different conferences so far in the nonconference season, Stanford out of the NorPac marks the eighth (and final) conference that Penn State will play.
• The Nittany Lions have already faced teams from the Big Ten (Michigan, Ohio State) Ivy League (Princeton), CAA (Old Dominion), ACC (Virginia, Maryland), NEC (Lock Haven), BIG EAST (Connecticut), Atlantic 10 (West Chester), and Patriot League (American, Lafayette).
• Another NorPac squad, Pacific, is also on Penn State's schedule.
Impressive Opponents
• Penn State has played some of the top teams in the country and it shows when looking at their cumulative record.
• In total, the Lions' eight losses have come to teams with a combined record of 65-22 (.747 win percentage). Five teams have dominant marks, led by No. 1 Maryland (12-0), No. 4 Virginia (11-1), No. 5 Connecticut (11-0), No. 7 Princeton (8-1) and Lafayette (8-2).
• Penn State's three wins have come against Ohio State (7-4), Lock Haven (8-3) and West Chester (5-5) for an overall opponent record of 85-34 (.714 win percentage).
• Five of the losses have also come to top-10 squads. The Nittany Lions will still play another top-10 team this season in Michigan State.
First Field Hockey RPI Released
• The first NCAA field hockey RPI was recently released with Penn State coming in at 26.
• Six of the Nittany Lions' opponents are in the top ten and 11 in the top 25. Leading the way at No. 1 is Syracuse followed by Maryland while a surprise team, Stanford, checks in third. The Cardinal are 10-1 on the season and travel to Happy Valley for an Oct. 5 showdown.
• Virginia comes in at No. 5 followed by Michigan State (7), Connecticut (8) and Old Dominion (9). Princeton (11), Northwestern (14), Michigan (18), Indiana (22) and Iowa (23) are also among the top 25.
Shutting The Door
• Junior goalkeeper Ali Meves had a stellar performance against Princeton on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
• After allowing a goal on the Tigers' first shot, she stopped 14 of the next 16 sent her way for the most saves by a Penn State goalie since Jen Beaumont had 16 against Ohio State on Oct. 8, 2006.
• She's had a number of monster save performances to go along with her most recent career effort. The native of Lower Gwynedd, Pa. also made seven saves at Lafayette (9/16), eight vs. Lock Haven (9/4) and nine at Virginia (8/30).
• Meves then made four saves at Michigan (9/27) in her first-career start against a Big Ten foe.
• She recorded her first win in just under a month when she shut the door against No. 18 Ohio State (with 11 saves), which led to a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory.
A Big Draw
• Penn State field hockey has been a big draw early in 2009, averaging 433 fans at its games (including road and neutral site contests). In total, 4,768 have already seen the Lions just over halfway through the regular season schedule.
• That average of 433 is almost 200 more than the next "most-seen" Big Ten opponent, Michigan (250).
• Last season, the cumulative attendance at Penn State's 20 games was 5,223. At this pace, the Lions would surpass that figure right around Game 13 or 14 (vs. Northwestern or Bucknell) with more regular season contests and the postseason still to follow.
The Nation's Attendance Leader?
• Penn State has a realistic chance to lead the nation in average home attendance.
• The Nittany Lions have averaged 505 fans at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex, which is on pace to easily top last year's figure of 372, fourth best in the nation.
• They're also well on their way to Penn State's largest home attendance in program history. For perspective, the Lions averaged: 372 (2008), 406 (2007), 364 (2006), 318 (2005), 390 (2004), 293 (2003), 413 (2002) and 302 (2001).
• The Nittany Lions are by far the Big Ten's leader in home attendance, a full 75 ahead of Michigan in second place (430).
• The 505 fans for home games would shatter last season's national leader (North Carolina, 431) in average attendance.
• The Tar Heels are averaging 592 fans so far this season. In addition, Penn State is well ahead of Maryland, Michigan and Lock Haven, who all finished in the top five last year.
More Attendance Tidbits
• Many fans stopped by the home opener vs. Lock Haven (Sept. 4) on their way to football eve, creating a buzz of an atmosphere.
• Then on Sunday, Sept. 6, (vs. No. 5 Connecticut), the third largest crowd in the history of the Penn State Field Hockey Complex (694) witnessed a thrilling game.
• The 694 fans only trail the 794 on Sept. 1, 2008 against Maryland and 770 on Sept. 2, 2007 versus Connecticut. Four of the top five crowds in the facility's history have come against the Huskies.
• The attendance total of 694 stands as the 23rd largest crowd in NCAA Regular Season history and 32nd largest in NCAA history.
• Sunday (Sept. 20) vs. West Chester saw another large crowd with the final total standing at 513.
• Last time out vs. No. 18 Ohio State on Oct. 2 was the "lowest" of the season, partially due to inclement weather. But the attendance total was still impressive with 343 faithful braving the elements.
• Fans can continue these attendance figures with six home games still remaining. With a strong showing the rest of the way, Penn State has a chance to lead the nation in attendance. COME BE A PART OF IT!
Redshirt freshman Kristen Schaefer has started six consecutive games. |
Start Of A New Streak?
• Penn State split a pair of games against Pennsylvania foes this season.
• After the loss to Lafayette on Sept. 16 ended a 30-game winning streak against instrate foes, the Nittany Lions hope that the win over West Chester (on Sept. 20) will be the start of a new run.
• To put the streak into perspective, an astonishing 2,194 days (over six years) came in between losses to teams from the Keystone State.
Offensive Explosion Versus West Chester
• The Nittany Lions had an offensive outburst on Sunday, Sept. 20, vs. the Golden Rams which led to their second win of the season, both coming at home.
• Entering the game, the Lions had scored seven goals in the first seven games, but finished with five in a 5-0 rout.
• Only one of the seven goals had been in the first half, but they scored three in the first stanza on Sunday, including one only 4:03 into the game. That ended a scoreless drought of 222:22 in the first half of games. The only other first half goal prior to that had been in the season-opener at No. 16 Old Dominion.
• The Nittany Lions also had 29 shots, 22 on goal, the most since last Sept. 19 vs. Georgetown when they had a whopping 36 shots and 24 on goal.
• Junior Daneen Zug finished with a game-high seven shots (six on goal), mostly coming off penalty corners. She more than doubled her shot total in the game alone. She entered the day with six and finished with 13.
DéjàVu?
• Penn State hopes that Sept. 20 will prove to be déjàvu to last season.
• One year and one day before the 5-0 win over West Chester, the Nittany Lions dominated Georgetown, 6-0. Both games were at home.
• That win propelled them to 10 wins in the next 11 games to put themselves in prime position for an NCAA Tournament berth.
• In both games, Christine Dudek had a hand in two of the goals. She posted a goal and assist vs. the Rams while she had a career-high two scores last year against the Hoyas.
• Both games also compared in the amount of relentless pressure by the Penn State offense. Along with the similar shot totals, the opposing goalkeepers finished with huge save totals - Georgetown's Deirdre Crovo had 18 and West Chester's Joelle Zarefoss finished with 17.
Balanced Attack
• Penn State has spread the wealth on the offensive end with Jessica Longstreth leading the way with three goals and four others (Hannah Allison, Amy Bonenberger, Christine Dudek, & Casey McCartin) tied for second with two goals apiece.
• Bonenberger, Dudek, Longstreth and McCartin all scored their second goals in the 5-0 win over West Chester on Sept. 20. Longstreth netted her third on Friday vs. No. 18 Ohio State.
There's A First Time For Everything
• Four Nittany Lions have scored their first-career goals this season (Hannah Allison, Kelsey Amy, Casey McCartin, Alex Schlener).
• Junior goalie Ali Meves had her first-career double digit save performance on Wednesday at Princeton (and had her second on Friday, Oct. 2 vs. Ohio State).
• Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Ayla Halus picked up her first-career shutout on Sunday vs. West Chester. It was also Penn State's first shutout of the season.
• Halus made her first collegiate appearance in relief of Meves at Maryland on Sept. 12. She was strong, making seven saves in the final 45:46.
• Halus then made her first-career start the following day against American. She made six saves in that contest.
• Meves' first-career start came in the season-opener at Old Dominion (8/28). She entered the season having played in four career games, all in relief.
• Redshirt freshman Kristen Schaefer made her first-career start against American (9/13). She was one of six Lions to play all 70 minutes.
• She also had her first-career shot on Friday, Oct. 2 vs. Ohio State and actually finished with two shots in the game.
• Redshirt sophomore back Lauren Alloway recorded her first-career shot on Sunday vs. Michigan (9/27). She then had a shot in the following game as well, vs. Ohio State.
Senior Christine Dudek has made the most of her shots. She has two goals on only five shots. |
Feeling Generous
• Redshirt Senior Christine Dudek has tallied three assists through 11 games this season after having none in the first three years of her playing career.
• After a scoreless freshman and sophomore year, she broke out with 10 points (five goals) last season.
• This year, she assisted on Hannah Allison's second goal vs. Lock Haven while setting up fellow senior Amy Bonenberger in the season-opener at then-No. 16 Old Dominion.
• Dudek then scored a goal at defending national champion and No. 1 Maryland. It came on only her second shot of the season with both coming in a span of nine seconds. The second shot found the back of the cage after a scramble in front of the goal.
• Most recently, Dudek tallied her third assist off Bonenberger's penalty corner goal on Sunday vs. West Chester (9/20).
• Her three assists lead the team while her three-point performance on Sunday also propelled her to the team-lead with seven points (2g, 3a).
• She has made the most of her shots with two goals on only five attempts.
Sharing The Workload
• Junior Ali Meves and redshirt freshman Ayla Halus have shared time in goal, with Halus recording 185:46 while Meves has played 590:44.
• Halus started her second game of the season (and career) on Sept. 20 and earned her first-career shutout.
• Meves has gotten the starting nod the previous two Wednesdays after Halus played the final 115:46 at the Terrapin Invitational. The junior keeper had 14 saves at Princeton (9/23) and seven at Lafayette (9/16).
• This season marks the first time that two Penn State goalies have eclipsed 100 minutes since 2000 when Heidi Leuchte played 488 and current assistant coach Annie Zinkavich played 1,150.
Stroke Of Excellence
• Sophomore Jessica Longstreth found herself in a familiar position vs. American (9/13) when she took a second half penalty stroke.
• It was her second of the season (and career). She found the back of the cage for the first time after a failed attempt vs. Lock Haven (Sept. 4).
• Penn State had two penalty strokes last season, both from Allison Scola, and both goals.
• The most penalty stroke attempts this century was four in 2004, a mark that the Lions can still surpass this season.
Second Half Bunch
• The Lions have impressed in second half action this season with eight of their 14 goals coming in the final 35 minutes along with one in overtime.
• Christine Dudek's goal vs. West Chester snapped a scoreless first half skid which reached 222:22. Prior to the marker, Penn State's previous six goals had come in the second half. Amy Bonenberger scored in the first half in the season-opener at No. 16 Old Dominion.
• Ironically, the trend was opposite last season, with nearly 66 percent of their goals (27 of 41) in the first half, 13 in the second and one in overtime.
Why Does My Shirt Have To Be "Red?"
• The Penn State field hockey team has a number of redshirts on its 2009 roster, led by four redshirt freshmen (Hannah Allison, Ayla Halus, Kristen Schaefer, Alex Schlener), a redshirt sophomore (Lauren Alloway) and two redshirt seniors (Christine Dudek, Jen Miller).
• The squad only includes two true freshmen, but when you add the redshirts, the freshmen become 38 percent of the team.
• In total, 7 of the 19 players have redshirted.
Fantastic Freshman
• Speaking of freshmen, one of those redshirts, Hannah Allison, had a performance to remember in the home opener vs. Lock Haven on Sept. 4.
• She had a hand in all of Penn State's goals, finishing with five points, the most by a Nittany Lion freshman since Brittney Long had that many on Sept. 18, 2005 vs. West Chester.
• Another freshman, Shaun Banta, also had five (2g, 1a) on Sept. 17, 2004 vs. Lafayette.
• Allison was the first Nittany Lion with five points in a half since yet another freshman, Kristen Miller, had two goals and an assist in the second half of a 12-1 home win over Saint Joseph's (Sept. 21, 2003). Current assistant coach Annie Zinkavich was the starting goalkeeper in that game.
• The five points were also the most for any Lion since Allison Scola last Oct. 19 at Northwestern.
• The last player to have more than five was current senior Bethany Marvel when she recorded a hat trick (six points) on Oct. 23, 2007 at Bucknell. In that game, her sixth point came only 1:50 into the second half.
• The performance earned her Penn State Student Athlete of the Week on Sept. 7, an honor she shared with senior football quarterback Daryll Clark.
• Overall, Allison is second on the team in scoring with five points and tied for the team lead with two goals.
Coaches Who Know How To Win
• Penn State is playing some of the greatest coaches in NCAA history this season.
• The squad has already faced three of the top five winningest active coaches (all win totals as of the beginning of the season): Beth Anders (Old Dominion, 554), Nancy Stevens (Connecticut, 462) and Missy Meharg (367, Maryland).
• Current Lion coach Charlene Morett is fourth on that list with 389 career wins entering the season.
• All-time, Anders is first in NCAA Division I history with her 554 wins while Stevens is second, Morett is fourth, Meharg is fifth, Virginia's Michele Madison is 18th (250 wins) and West Chester's Kathy Krannebitter is 24th (212).
• In addition, Lock Haven's Pat Rudy had 459 wins entering the year, but she isn't yet eligible as a DI coach since Lock Haven recently moved to Division I.
Feeling Patriotic
• The most-played "non-conference" on Penn State's schedule this season is the Patriot League.
• The Lions lost to the league's preseason favorite, American University, 3-1 on Sept. 13. The Eagles were selected as preseason favorites for a seventh straight season.
• They then fell to Lafayette, ranked No. 2 in the preseason conference poll, 1-0 in overtime on Sept 16.
• Penn State looks for better luck against the Patriot League when it hosts Bucknell (predicted fourth) on Oct. 13.
• Even with the recent loss, Penn State is still an incredible 55-6-2 all-time against the Patriot League.
• The Lions have faced Bucknell the most (31-2-2 record) followed by Lafayette (14-2), Lehigh (8-0) and American (1-2).
Senior captain Bethany Marvel has started every game this season. |
The "Big" CC?
• Penn State could make a case to be an honorary member of the ACC due to the number of nonconference games against one of the top conferences in the country.
• This season is no different, with Virginia and Maryland, arguably the ACC's two best teams, on the slate.
• Over the previous two years (2007 and '08), Penn State played nine games against ACC squads, posting a 5-4 record. That included four straight games in 2007 as part of its magical run to the National Championship Game.
• All-time, Penn State has faced - Maryland (31 times), North Carolina (28), Virginia (16), Duke (5), Wake Forest (4) and Boston College (1).
• Ironically, Penn State head coach Charlene Morett began her head coaching career with a current ACC school, Boston College.
Starting Her 'Starting' Career With A Bang
• Junior goalkeeper Ali Meves had a strong first four starts of her career.
• Meves recorded her first-career win in the home opener vs. Lock Haven. She finished with eight big saves, including a number in the first half to keep the Lions close, allowing them to take a second half lead behind an offensive outburst.
• On Aug. 30, Meves made a then career-high nine saves on 10 shots to keep the Nittany Lions close against No. 6 Virginia. • Meves and redshirt freshman Ayla Halus look to fill the hole left by departed All-American goalkeeper Jen Beaumont.
Tough Schedule On Tap
• The latest NFHCA Coaches Poll (Sept. 29) sees an incredible nine of Penn State's opponents among the Top-20: Maryland (1), Virginia (4), Connecticut (5), Princeton (7), Michigan State (8), Old Dominion (12), Stanford (14), Northwestern (17) and Ohio State (18). Additionally, Indiana, American, Michigan, Iowa and Lafayette are also receiving votes.
• Also on the docket are eight NCAA Tournament teams from 2008, including National Champion Maryland and National Semifinalist Iowa.
• The following squads made the final NFHCA Coaches Poll: Maryland (1), Connecticut (5), Iowa (6), Princeton (9), Michigan State (10), Virginia (12), Ohio State (14) and American (18). Lock Haven, Old Dominion, Stanford and Indiana all finished among "Others Receiving Votes."
• The Lions also face 10 from the preseason top-20 and five more who received votes. Only three teams - Lafayette, Pacific and West Chester - didn't garner votes.
Facing Defending National Champions
• As part of their challenging schedule, the Lions faced a defending national champion for the 21st time on Sept. 12 at Maryland.
• With the loss, Penn State is now 5-16 against defending champs, with the last win coming, 1-0, over the Terps on Nov. 11, 2007.
Only The Best...
• Along with facing the defending national champion and a number of ranked foes, the Nittany Lions also face four preseason conference favorites.
• In total, they face four who were predicted to win their respective conferences in their preseason polls: Old Dominion (CAA), Virginia (ACC), Lock Haven (NEC) and American (Patriot League).
• The Big Ten, NorPac and Ivy League don't have preseason polls. Otherwise, the number could be even more with Big Ten powers along with teams like Stanford and Princeton on the slate.
Lions Ranked 11th In Preseason NFHCA Poll
• Following a Big Ten Championship season, the Penn State field hockey began 2009 ranked No. 11 in the preseason Kookaburra/NFHCA Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions, who concluded last season in the same position, have 10 opponents ranked in the top-20.
• In total, 10 of the Lions' 2009 opponents garnered a preseason national ranking, including six of the top nine: Maryland (1), Connecticut (5), Virginia (6), Princeton (7), Michigan State (8), Iowa (9), American (14), Old Dominion (16), Ohio State (18) and Michigan (19). Other opponents, Northwestern, Indiana, Lock Haven, Bucknell and Stanford all received votes as well.
• Five of the seven Big Ten squads were ranked in the top-20, second most of any conference behind the ACC. The other two teams - Indiana and Northwestern - received votes, effectively ranked 26th and 27th, respectively.
Streaks To Greatness
• The field hockey program has put together a number of impressive streaks both recently and looking back to its storied history. The Lions look to extend these streaks in 2009.
• With Penn State's nine game winning streak in 2008, the squad put together streaks of nine games or more in three of the previous four seasons (also 10 in 2006 and a school-record 17 in 2005). Ironically, the one season that it didn't put together a streak of that magnitude was in the National Finalist season in 2007 when the longest win streak "only" reached five.
• Entering 2009, the Nittany Lions have picked up double-figures in wins in an incredible 31 consecutive seasons, a streak that is still alive.
• Additionally, the Lions have never had a losing record under Morett. The worst season came in 2004 when they finished 10-10. Every other season of her storied career has consisted of a winning record.
Be sure to follow Penn State field hockey on Twitter! A popular feature is live in-game updates! |
2009 Media Guide Now Available!
• The 2009 media guide is now available! In it, you can find everything you need to know about Penn State field hockey including stats, player bios, a complete history section and much more!
• Copies are available for only $5. They will be available at every home game and can also be purchased through the publications store on GoPSUsports.com. Click to order!
Sign Up For Penn State Field Hockey News
• Fans, want to stay up to date on the Penn State field hockey team? Sign up today by contacting Justin Lafleur (jal47@psu.edu) in the Penn State Athletic Communications Department. You will receive game previews, game recaps, news releases and more, straight to your inbox!
Follow Penn State Field Hockey On Twitter!
• Penn State field hockey is now on Twitter! You can find exclusive notes and features to help you stay one step ahead when following the Nittany Lions.
• Included will be live in-game scoring updates, so if you can't make it to Happy Valley, you'll still be able to follow all the action. Go to www.twitter.com and search for the username PennStateFH. Click here for a direct link.