Feb. 16, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Temperatures may have been frigid but the No. 18 Penn State women's lacrosse team (2-0) was red hot in its Tuesday afternoon non-conference match-up with Bucknell (0-1), as the Nittany Lions dominated play from whistle to whistle in a 15-2 rout of the Bison.
The Penn State attack gave a commanding performance with 10 different Nittany Lions netting goals and a total of 11 recording points. Freshman Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore Bridget Callahan (Moorestown, N.J.) posted their first multi-goal and multi-point efforts of their careers. Fernandez notched a hat trick and added an assist while Callahan totaled two goals and two assists. Senior Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio) and junior Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) each also added two goals.
While the Penn State offense was scoring at will, the defense was stifling the Bucknell attack. The Nittany Lions limited the Bison to just two shots, with its first coming over 20 minutes into the game, and zero goals in the first half and did not allow a score until nearly 45 minutes had expired on the game clock. The Penn State defense caused 12 turnovers, including a game-high three from junior midfielder Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.). Senior Stephanie Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) started and played the entire first half, registering one save, before giving way to sophomore Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) for the remainder of the game. Cahill faced eight shots, totaling a career-high five saves.
A blistering first half by the Nittany Lions fueled the blowout victory. A free position goal by Lesnick at the 27:53 mark opened the offensive floodgates and 11 more followed before halftime. Penn State fashioned an 8-0 lead before Bucknell even recorded its first shot.
In the second half, Penn State took its collective foot off the gas and the scoring swell slowed significantly. Senior Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.) stretched the lead to 13-0 with her first goal of the season with 23:14 left in the game. After Bucknell finally cracked the scoreboard with back-to-back goals, Fernandez and Bucci finished off the scoring for Penn State with a goal each in the final 13 minutes.
With the win, Penn State moves to a perfect 14-0 in its all-time series with Bucknell. In their past five meetings, the Nittany Lions have outscored the Bison by a 90-21 margin.
The Nittany Lions return home this weekend to host No. 2 Maryland (1-0) in a 1 p.m. game at Holuba Hall. Penn State possesses a 14-31-1 all-time record against the Terrapins, including last season's 20-12 loss in the ALC/ACC Challenge in Columbus, Ohio.