Sept. 2, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a strong season-opening weekend, the No. 18 Penn State field hockey team hits the road for the first time when it faces No. 5 Connecticut on Friday. Please note the new gametime of 1 p.m. due to Hurricane Earl, which is expected to affect the New England area later in the evening.
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The Nittany Lions, who lead the all-time series, are looking for their first win over the Huskies since 2006.
Penn State opened the season last Friday with an impressive 4-0 victory over No. 16 Old Dominion before falling to the high-powered - and No. 3 nationally ranked - Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday.
The four-goal triumph equaled the largest margin of victory over the Monarchs in program history. Old Dominion is the NCAA's all-time winningest program, with nine national championships, and is also led by the all-time winningest coach in Beth Anders (564 career wins).
The game also marked a reunion of old friends and co-workers. Anders hired Penn State head coach Charlene Morett as an assistant at Old Dominion in 1980 and the two went onto make three NCAA Tournaments before Morett accepted the head coaching position at Boston College.
Morett, who enters her 24th season as head coach at her alma mater, is now within three of her 400th career victory. She is one of three Nittany Lion coaches approaching the same milestone. While head football coach Joe Paterno enters 2010 with 394 career wins and new soccer coach Bob Warming has 383, Morett is the closest, looking to become only the fourth Division I coach in NCAA field hockey history to reach that plateau.
Connecticut is led by Nancy Stevens, the second winningest coach in Division I history, which means Penn State will face the top two winningest coaches in the span of three games. Anders leads the way, followed by Stevens, North Carolina's Karen Shelton and Morett.
The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with the Huskies, 16-13-4, but look to snap a three-game losing skid. The past two games have been one-goal losses, including a slim 2-1 defeat last year and a 1-0 road loss in 2008. Ironically enough, the last win came on the road in 2006 on the exact same date as Friday's game - Sept. 3.
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The game features a number of additional storylines, as well (below).
Kelsey Amy Named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week
• Sophomore Kelsey Amy was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
• Amy scored two goals against No. 16 Old Dominion Friday, accounting for half of the Lions' offensive outburst during Friday's 4-0 season-opening win.
• Those two goals tied a career-high and marked her third career multi-goal game.
• Amy now has 10 goals in her last 12 games dating back to last season.
• 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.
Ayla Halus Enjoys Strong Weekend
• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ayla Halus enjoyed an outstanding weekend in her first action since being named starting goalkeeper.
• For the week, stopped 23 of 26 shots (89 percent), including one shutout.
• She 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.
• On Sunday, Halus went on to record double-digit saves once again, stopping 10 shots in a 3-0 loss to No. 3 nationally ranked Virginia.
• Halus now has two career shutouts.
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 Connecticut
• A perennial power, the Huskies enter the season with high hopes once again.
• They opened the season on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Maine. Rayell Heistand, Allison Angulo and Melissa Gonzalez each scored while goalkeeper Sarah Mansfield earned the shutout in her collegiate debut.
• The squad is coming off a 19-2 record in 2009. Junior Ali Blankmeyer and senior Melissa Gonzalez lead the way offensively. Blankmeyet had 11 goals and four assists for 26 points last season while Gonzalez recorded 14 points.
• Heistand, the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, looks to anchor the defense while led the BIG EAST in GAA last season (1.17).
On The Verge Of A Milestone
• Morett entered the season only four wins shy of her 400th career win.
• She currently owns a 397-159-17 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.
Penn State Field Hockey Ranked 18th In Preseason NFHCA Coaches Poll
• The Nittany Lions enter the 2010 season ranked 18th in the preseason Kookaburra/NFHCA Coaches Poll, as announced on Tuesday. They are 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.
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).
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.
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!
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.