Feb. 24, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 16 Penn State women's lacrosse team will play its first home game of the 2011 season on Sat., Feb. 26 when Albany (1-0) visits Holuba Hall for a 1 p.m. non-conference contest. The Nittany Lions have won eight consecutive home openers and six of their last eight games played inside their indoor facility.
Last weekend, in its 2011 debut under first year head coach Missy Doherty, Penn State (0-1) fell to defending national champion Maryland, 13-2, at the top-ranked Terrapins' Lacrosse & Field Hockey Complex in College Park, Md. Freshman Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) led the Nittany Lions in points with two, garnering the first two assists of her career, while senior Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) and junior Elaine Welch (Bernardsville, N.J.) accounted for Penn State's goals. Junior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) played all 60 minutes in net, recording 13 saves in her first collegiate start.
First year Albany head coach John Battaglino has seven returning starters, including four all-conference players, from last season's America East championship squad. The Great Danes, which were selected to place second in the AEC preseason poll and received votes in the initial IWLCA rankings, started their 2011 campaign on Wednesday afternoon by drubbing Siena at home, 18-2. Seniors Taylor Frink and Mel Rorie led UA, scoring a career-high five goals each while three others netted two.
Penn State has never faced Albany in program history but has compiled a 14-2 overall record against other America East opponents. The Nittany Lions are 13-2 versus New Hampshire and 1-0 against Vermont. Last season, a scheduled regular season home game versus Vermont was cancelled due to travel problems stemming for a winter storm that struck the Northeast.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Albany match-up with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State will conclude its brief two-game home stand on Wed., March 2 when it hosts regional foe Bucknell for a 7 p.m. contest in Holuba Hall. The Nittany Lions own a perfect 14-0 all-time record versus the Bison, including last year's 15-2 rout in Lewisburg. Penn State has dominated the last five meetings, three of which took place in University Park, outscoring Bucknell by a combined 90-21 margin.
Follow Penn State women's lacrosse on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatewomenslacrosse.