March 22, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's lacrosse team will go for the home stand sweep on Wednesday night when it welcomes Lafayette (1-6) to Holuba Hall for a 7 p.m. contest. The Nittany Lions are in the midst of a three-game winning streak and, as a result of its recent surge, are now receiving votes in the latest IWLCA Division I Poll.
On Sunday, Penn State (4-4) jumped out to a seven-goal first half lead and then staved off a furious second half comeback attempt to claim an 11-8 upset win over ALC foe No. 12 Vanderbilt at Bigler Field. Nine different players accounted for the Nittany Lions' 11 total goals, led by senior Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.) and junior Theresa Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.), who netted two each. Senior Mary Dean (Wyncote, Pa.) topped PSU in points with four (1 goal, 3 assists). Junior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) tied her career high by recording 13 saves against a barrage of 33 Vanderbilt shots, earning ALC Defensive Player of the Week honors for her efforts.
Lafayette is coming off a 17-7 loss to Navy, its third straight and sixth in seven outings. The Leopards have experienced some hard luck this season thus far, losing by a single goal three times, including once in double overtime. Their lone win was an 11-8 result against former ALC member Davidson. Sophomore Addie Godfrey (14 goals, 3 assists) and freshman Ana White (12 goals, 5 assists) lead Lafayette with 17 points. White also tops the team in draw controls (39), ground balls (21), and caused turnovers (18).
Penn State holds an 18-2 record in the program's all-time series with Lafayette. A year ago, behind a career high seven points from Mary Dean (4 goals, 3 assists), Penn State secured a dominating 19-5 victory in Easton. Coupled with the Nittany Lions' win over the Leopards in 2009, PSU has outscored its in-state foe 39-12 in the teams' last two meetings.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Lafayette non-conference clash with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions will return to the road this weekend, traveling to Williamsburg, Va. to face No. 16 William & Mary (3-3) in a 1 p.m. non-conference clash on Sunday, March 27. The Nittany Lions are 23-7-1 all-time versus the Tribe, including last season's 11-8 victory in University Park.