Sept. 14, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Fresh off a 3-1 victory against in-state rival, Lock Haven, the 15th-ranked Penn State field hockey team will host Lafayette Wednesday in a battle under the lights. The game is set for 6 p.m. at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.
Fans can follow all the action through and the Penn State Field Hockey Twitter Page.
The Nittany Lions head into the clash with a 2-2 mark, and have been impressive out of the gate. After beginning the season ranked No. 18 in the NFHCA National Poll, the team moved up three slots in the latest poll released on Tuesday.
The Lion's most recent victory came on Sunday against local rival Lock Haven 3-1. The Lions opened the year by shutting out then 16th nationally ranked Old Dominion before falling to No. 3 Virginia and No. 5 Connecticut.
Penn State has been recognized for its strong play, earning a Big Ten weekly award in each of the first two weeks. Sophomore Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.) was named offensive player of the week after scoring two goals against Old Dominion, then redshirt sophomore Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) earned defensive laurels following 12 saves against the Huskies.
The series between Lafayette and Penn State goes back almost two decades with the Lions coming out on top 14 out of the 16 meetings. The teams first met in 1990 and played every season until '97, taking a break until 2002. The teams have collided every year since. They have outscored the Leopards 65-18 in the all-time series. In addition, Penn State has delivered a shutout in 11 of the 14 wins.
Follow Penn State field hockey on Twitter.
The game features a number of additional storylines, as well (below).
Ayla Halus Named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
• Redshirt sophomore Ayla Halus was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, as announced on Monday.
• Penn State's last defensive player of the week came when senior Ali Meves was honored last Oct. 5 after making 11 saves vs. No. 18 Ohio State.
• The award comes only a week after sophomore Kelsey Amy was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
• Halus made 12 stops against the Huskies, 10 coming in the first 35:00 to keep the game scoreless at the half. In her first three games, she has made 13, 10 and 12 saves, respectively, with all coming against ranked foes. Two of the three teams - Virginia and UConn - were among the top five in the nation.
• The 12 saves were one shy of her career-high set in the season-opener vs. No. 16 Old Dominion. It also marked Halus' second 10-save half of the season. She also made 10 in the first-half against the Monarchs. Overall, Halus owns a Big Ten-leading 87.5 save percentage, stopping 35 of 40 shots sent her way.
• Halus dazzled in the dominating 4-0 win over No. 16 Old Dominion, making a facility-record 13 saves while not allowing a goal. She made 10 of those stops in the first half to keep the Lions in the game.
• The previous Penn State Field Hockey Complex mark was 12 by Jen Beaumont in 2008.
• Halus now has two career shutouts.
Kelsey Amy Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week
• Sophomore Kelsey Amy was named this season's first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday, Aug. 30.
• Amy scored two goals against No. 16 Old Dominion, accounting for half of the Lions' offensive outburst during the 4-0 season-opening win.
• Those two goals tied a career-high and marked her third career multi-goal game.
• It also marked the second straight year that a Nittany Lion scored two goals in the home-opener. Redshirt sophomore Hannah Allison had a pair against Lock Haven last season.
• The offensive player of the week honors marks Penn State's first since Allison Scola earned the honors on Oct. 13, 2008.
Flock of the Freshmen
• The freshman duo, Brittany Grzywacz and Lauren Purvis guided the Nittany Lions to their latest win, a 3-1 decision over Lock Haven.
• In addition to scoring her first collegiate goal, Grzywacz also marked points after assisting Purvis with her late-game gain. •Purvis made contact with the back of the cage in the 55th minute of play.
At Home In 2010
• Road games will be a rarity for the Nittany Lions this season.
• The squad has 11 home games and six road contests, their most home tilts since 2003.
Scouting Lafayette
• The 2010 Leopards have been picked to place second in the Patriot league, awarded during the preseason poll.
• Six starters return to the Lafayette roster including Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Kelsey Anderson and First-Team All-Patriot League returnees Meghan Cicchi and Deanna DiCroce.
• The Leopards have a strong scoring capability up front with Deanna DiCroce , who led the team in scoring last season with 12 goals, including six game-winning goals.
On The Verge Of A Milestone
• Morett entered the season only four wins shy of her 400th career win.
• She currently owns a 398-161-17 career record, which includes her three seasons at Boston College where she posted a 34-16-8 mark.
• She would become only the fourth Division I coach in NCAA history (ninth overall) to reach the 400-win plateau, joining three others who are all still active: Old Dominion's Beth Anders, UConn's Nancy Stevens and North Carolina's Karen Shelton.
Alloway & Zug Named Team Captains
• Penn State field hockey senior Daneen Zug (Manheim, Pa.) and redshirt junior Lauren Alloway (Hummelstown, Pa.) have been named team captains for the 2010 season.
• Zug has excelled on and off the field, being named a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree while also earning Second Team All-Big Ten laurels in 2008. After playing 12 games as a freshman, she broke out as a sophomore with 23 points which included a team-leading 10 goals. Last year, Zug scored three goals, two of which came in a memorable 6-4 win against Pacific (Oct. 24), the same afternoon that her brother Graham scored three touchdowns in Penn State football's 35-10 rout at Michigan.
• Alloway enters her fourth year in the program as well, which includes a redshirt season in 2007. After limited action in '08, she saw significant playing time last year, playing in 17 games (six starts). She started the first five games of 2009, anchoring a solid defensive core which allowed only six goals in its first four games. Three of the games were against nationally ranked opponents (No. 16 Old Dominion, No. 6 Virginia, No. 5 Connecticut).
Memories of a Defensive Battle
• The most recent clash between the Nittany Lions and the Leopards came Sept. 16, 2009 when a neck-to-neck battle broke out.
• The loss for the Nittany Lions came in OT when the only goal of the game was scored by Deanna DiCroce of Lafayette.
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!
Penn State Field Hockey Ranked 18th In Preseason NFHCA Coaches Poll
• The Nittany Lions entered the 2010 season ranked 18th in the preseason Kookaburra/NFHCA Coaches Poll. They were one of five Big Ten teams in the top 20.
• In total, the Lions will face five of the top 10 teams in the nation and nine of the top 20: Virginia (3), Princeton (4), Connecticut (5), Michigan State (7), Duke (10), Ohio State (14), Old Dominion (16), Indiana (17) and Iowa (19). Six of those games come at home with only Connecticut, Michigan State and Ohio State on the road.
• Four other 2010 opponents - Northwestern, Michigan, Lafayette and Lock Haven - are also among others receiving votes.
2010 Yearbook Now Available Online!
• The 2010 field hockey online yearbook 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. Just click here to view.
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. Or just click here.