Sept. 15, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's lacrosse program has released its 2010 fall schedule, revealing three tournaments that will feature games against a total of eight Division I teams. Also announced by first year head coach Missy Doherty and her staff is the date and details for the annual Penn State Alumnae Weekend.
Penn State will open the fall by hosting Lehigh and Rutgers in a home tournament scheduled for Sun., Sept. 26. The Nittany Lions will take on the Mountain Hawks from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and then face the Scarlet Knights from 2:30-4:00. All games will be played on the field adjacent to the Ashenfelter Multi-Sport Facility. In 2010, Lehigh set a program record for wins in a season (14) while Rutgers posted an 11-5 record.
The following weekend, the program will hold its annual Alumnae Game on Sat., Oct. 2 at 10:30 a.m. at Bigler Field as part of a weekend-long celebration of the proud and rich tradition of Penn State women's lacrosse. Following the Alumnae Game, members of the 1978, 1979, and 1980 teams, along with the 1980 Nittany Lion field hockey team, will be honored at halftime of the PSU field hockey match-up with Iowa. Under Hall of Fame head coach Gillian Rattray, Penn State won three consecutive USWLA Championships from 1978-1980, compiling an impressive 45-1-3 record.
Two weeks later, Penn State will travel to Annapolis, Md. to participate in a tournament hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy. The Lions will square off against Georgetown (13-6 in 2010) at noon and then meet Navy (17-4 in 2010) at 1 p.m. The Hoyas are the defending BIG EAST champions while the Mids won the Patriot League and earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 2009.
The Nittany Lions will conclude their 2010 fall schedule on Sat., Oct. 23 when they visit Fairfax, Va. to take part in a tournament hosted by George Mason University. On the schedule for Penn State are games against Duquesne (10 a.m.) (8-9 in 2010), Louisville (12 p.m.) (11-6 in 2010), Villanova (3 p.m.) (8-8 in 2010), and La Salle (4 p.m.) (9-7 in 2010).
Penn State began preparations for its fall schedule on Monday with the team's first organized practice. Captained by seniors Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.), Jackie Eastman (Springfield, Pa.), Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.), and Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.), the 2011 Nittany Lions return 21 letterwinners, eight starters, and 76 percent of its offense from a 2010 squad that won 10 games, defeated three ranked opponents, and advanced to the semifinals of the ALC Championship. Augmenting the roster will be the No. 9-ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Inside Lacrosse.