April 14, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 15th-ranked Penn State women's lacrosse team will play its final home game of the 2011 regular season on Sunday when it hosts ALC rival No. 19 Ohio State (8-4) in a 1 p.m. Senior Day match-up at Jeffrey Field. The conference clash will be televised by the Big Ten Network on a same-day tape delay basis with the broadcast scheduled for 4 p.m.
Eight seniors, Ashley Boccio (Northport, N.Y.), Mary Dean (Wyncote, Pa.), Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.), Jackie Eastman (Springfield, Pa.), Megan Hollerbach (Annapolis, Md.), Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.), Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.), and Katy Wick (Winter Springs, Fla.) will take the field at home for the last time in a Penn State uniform when they square off against the Buckeyes. A special ceremony to honor their careers and contributions will precede the contest.
Penn State (7-6) overcame cold and rainy conditions and a pesky Lehigh team to gain a 12-11 win, the Nittany Lions' 20th consecutive over the Mountain Hawks, on Tuesday afternoon at Jeffrey Field. Maggie Dunbar was spectacular in the midfield, scoring three goals, notching one assist, and totaling six draw controls, five ground balls, and four caused turnovers while Jen Steadman led the attack with a team high four goals. Junior Colleen Shea (Baltimore, Md.) contributed a stellar performance on defense, causing four turnovers, including taking several key charges against Lehigh's record breaking scorer, Lauren Dykstra.
Ohio State enters Sunday's game riding a three-game winning streak, scoring 58 goals over that span, including 23 in a thrashing of Detroit on April 12. At the forefront of the Buckeyes' high-powered offense is 38-goal scorers Alayna Markwordt and Brittney Zerhusen. Jayme Beard (16 g, 16a) and Gabby Capuzzi (23g, 5a) are also key to the OSU attack. Goalkeeper Annie Carruthers backstops a defensive unit that allows an average of 9.78 goals per game.
Penn State has won five consecutive games versus Ohio State, including ending the Buckeyes' season in each of the last three seasons with victories in the ALC Championship. The Nittany Lions have more wins against the Buckeyes, 14, than any other ALC opponent. Ohio State has not won in Happy Valley since 2003.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Ohio State clash with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. Find a link on the front page (click on Schedule/Results) of the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com and on the women's lacrosse schedule page.
Penn State will finish out its 2011 regular season schedule with a two-game road swing, beginning on Saturday, April 23 when it travels to Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins in a key ALC contest. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at the Blue Jays' Homewood Field. A year ago, the Nittany Lions fell to Johns Hopkins, 12-7, at Jeffrey Field, dropping their series record versus JHU to 6-3 all-time.