March 24, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's lacrosse team will face a ranked team on the road for the fourth time this season on Sunday when it meets No. 16 William & Mary (4-3) at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va. First draw is set for 1 p.m.
On Wednesday night, the Nittany Lions completed a sweep of their four game home stand, downing Lafayette, 17-9, in Holuba Hall. After a sluggish start, a strong second half effort, which saw Penn State outscore Lafayette by a 10-5 margin, secured the win and moved the Lions above the .500 mark for the first time this season at 5-4.
Freshman Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) (3 goals, 3 assists) combined with seniors Jackie Eastman (Springfield, Pa.) (3 goals, 1 assist), Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) (3 goals, 1 assist), and Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.) (2 goals, 2 assists) to headline the Penn State offense. Junior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.), the reigning ALC and Synapse Sports National Defensive Player of the Week, recorded seven saves before being relieved in the second half by freshman Melissa Lloyd (West Chester, Pa.).
William & Mary bounced back from its worst loss of the season, an 18-8 setback to No. 2 Northwestern at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with its biggest win of the season, a 21-8 drubbing of commonwealth rival Virginia Tech on March 23. Senior Grace Golden is the team leader in goals (30) and points (33) but the Tribe attack features a trio of other prolific scorers in Maggie Anderson (15 goals, 1 assist), Kyrstin Mackrides (14 goals, 7 assists), and Ashley Holofcener (12 goals, 11 assists). Senior goalkeeper Emily Geary, who has started every game for William & Mary, is its last line on a defense that is allowing 12.45 goals per game.
Penn State has more wins against William & Mary, 23, in program history than any other school with the exception of one, Delaware (24). In 2010, a three-goal, one-assist effort by Laura Lesnick highlighted an 11-8 Nittany Lion win over the Tribe in University Park. After dropping three straight in the series from 2004-06, Penn State has claimed four consecutive victories. The teams' have met every year since 1980.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-William & Mary game with live stats and instant scoring updates. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Nittany Lions will be back in action next weekend when they host No. 9 Florida (8-1) on Saturday, April 2 in a key ALC match-up. Penn State will be looking to avenge a 13-11 setback to the Gators in the programs' inaugural meeting in Gainesville a year ago. The road game will be Florida's first since traveling locally to play Jacksonville University on Feb. 16.