April 10, 2010
BigTenNetwork.com/Student U webcast
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Penn State women's lacrosse team (7-4, 0-2 ALC) will welcome five-time reigning national champion and No. 1-ranked Northwestern (10-0, 1-0 ALC) to Jeffrey Field on Sunday for an ALC clash scheduled for a noon start.
The Nittany Lions wrapped up their non-conference road schedule on Wednesday evening with a 14-13 victory over Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa. Senior midfielder Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio) and junior attacker Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.) each scored four goals, with Bucci netting the game winner with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation. Junior attacker Mary Dean (Wyncote, Pa.) continued her hot streak of late, posting a hat trick. The Nittany Lions got contributions from a variety of sources, as seven players had an assist.
Northwestern comes to Happy Valley on a tight turnaround after defeating No. 6 Penn on Friday evening, 12-8, in Philadelphia, its third straight victory over a ranked opponent. The Wildcat offense is powered by the trio of Shannon Smith, Katrina Dowd, and Danielle Spencer, who all have 32 or more goals and 10-plus assists and have combined to score nine of 10 game winners. The NU defense, which allows just eight goals a game, is anchored by sophomore goalkeeper Brianne LoManto, who owns a 8.02 goals against average.
Penn State is 4-10 in its all-time series with Northwestern, dropping nine straight, including the season finale in each of the last three years. However, the Nittany Lions nearly upset the Wildcats in their last visit to University Park, in 2008, falling in the final seconds, 13-12. Current first-year Penn State assistant coach Hannah Nielsen was suited up for Northwestern in that game, totaling one goal and three assists.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Northwestern tilt with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. An online broadcast of the game will be provided on BigTenNetwork.com, with the game re-airing on the Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. on Mon., April 12 and again at 1 and 7 a.m. on Tues., April 13.
Penn State returns to the road but remains in conference play next weekend when it travels to Columbus, Ohio for an ALC match-up with No. 20 Ohio State (7-3, 1-1 ALC). The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes will square off on Sun., April 18 at 1 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Big Ten Network will air the contest on a tape delay basis. The Lions have taken three straight from the Buckeyes, including a regular season and postseason win last year, and own a 12-4 record in the all-time series.