Feb. 12, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 18th-ranked Penn State women lacrosse will open the 2010 regular season on Sun., Feb. 14 when it welcomes No. 14 Loyola (Md.) (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) to Holuba Hall for a 1 p.m. non-conference contest. The Valentine's Day game date represents the earliest point at which the Nittany Lions have began a season in program history.
Penn State took the field for the first time in 2010 last weekend when it scrimmaged La Salle in Holuba Hall, claiming a dominating 21-5 victory. Thirteen different Nittany Lions netted goals while six tallied assists in the exhibition win. Penn State had a commanding advantage in shots (41-9), ground balls (25-14), and draw controls (21-7).
For the 2010 season, 10-year Penn State head coach Suzanne Isidor returns 24 letterwinners, nine starters, and four All-ALC honorees from a team that posted a 9-8 record, placed second in the conference and advanced to the ALC Championship title game a year ago. Offense will come from a variety of sources including attackers Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.), PSU's returning leading scorer with 25 goals, and Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.) (14-10-24) and midfielders Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio) (18-4-22), Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) (22-1-23), and Theresa Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.) (19-1-20). Leading the defense will be the ALC's leader in caused turnovers in 2009, Margo Josephs (Reisterstown, Md.), shut down defender Ashley Boccio (Northport, N.Y.), and All-ALC goalkeeper Stephanie Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.).
Loyola, which went 11-6 and finished with a No. 14 ranking in the final IWLCA poll in 2009, was recently selected to place fourth in the BIG EAST this season, behind conference heavyweights Georgetown, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. The Greyhounds are headlined by Preseason All-BIG EAST Team selections, juniors Grace Gavin and Cara Filippelli. In 2009, Gavin led Loyola in goals (56) and points (74) while Filippelli topped the team in caused turnovers with 39. Both received First Team All-BIG EAST and all-region honors for their standout 2009 seasons. Also key for Loyola will be the play of junior midfielder Meg Decker, a transfer from the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2008, she earned some national rookie of the year recognition after totaling 76 points for the Midshipmen.
Penn State holds a slight 12-11 edge in its all-time series with Loyola, including a 6-6 mark in home games. The teams last met on March 30, 2008 with the Nittany Lions earning the 10-7 victory at Bigler Field.
For the first time ever, fans will be able to follow all of the Penn State women's lacrosse action in Holuba Hall with live stats and instant scoring updates from Gametracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action on Tues., Feb. 16 when they make their first road trip of the season, traveling east on I-80 to Lewisburg, Pa. to face regional rival Bucknell in a 4 p.m. contest at the Bison's Graham Field at Holmes Stadium. Penn State owns a perfect 13-0 record versus Bucknell, including last year's 18-5 rout in University Park. The Bison are coming off a nine-win season (9-9), the program's most in its 11-year history.
With cold temperatures expected and the possibility of additional snow falling early next week in central Pennsylvania, check back to GoPSUsports.com for potential time, date, and/or location changes of the Penn State-Bucknell game. Two years ago, the match-up between the Nittany Lions and Bison in Lewisburg was canceled due to inclement winter weather.