Sept. 1, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State field hockey team will be back in action this weekend as it travels to Lock Haven at 7 p.m. on Friday for its final tune-up before Sunday's home opener against Connecticut at noon. The Nittany Lions will be looking to make it three in a row after coming off a big win at No. 3 Virginia this past Sunday.
Friday's game can be viewed via live stats and a free live video feed, which can be found on the schedule on GoPSUSports.com. Sunday's contest will be available via Gametracker.
Following a tough setback to Old Dominion last Friday, Penn State picked up a 3-0 upset victory over Virginia two days later. Sophomore Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.), freshman Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.) and senior Hannah Allison (Mifflinburg, Pa.) each scored goals for the Nittany Lions.
The Bald Eagles of Lock Haven enter Friday's game with a 1-1 record, most recently coming off a 2-1 victory over Longwood. Leslie Ahern is the team's leading scorer thus far, as she has netted one goal and two assists for a total of four points. Lindsay Stauffenberg will make the start in goal, where she has allowed an average of 1.15 goals per game this season.
Penn State is 15-14-1 all-time against Lock Haven, including a 3-1 victory in its most recent matchup with the Bald Eagles last season. In fact, the Nittany Lions have won the last nine matchups. Lock Haven's last win over Penn State came in 1985.
The Huskies enter Sunday's game with 2-0 record and ranked No. 4 in the most recent NFCHA poll. UConn improved to 2-0 this past Monday when it defeated No. 20 Stanford, 4-2. Jestine Angelini leads the Huskies with 12 points through just two games this season. Angelini was just honored as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts in UConn's 7-1 victory over Hofstra on Saturday. She took only three shots vs. the Pride and converted each of those shots into a goal. She also added an assist for an outstanding seven-point afternoon.
The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with the Huskies, 16-14-4, but look to snap a four -game losing skid. The past three games have been one-goal losses, including slim 2-1 losses in 2009 and 2010. Penn State's last win against the Huskies came back in 2006.
Chrismer was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week this past Tuesday for her outstanding performances against No. 12 Old Dominion and No. 3 Virginia. Chrismer is Penn State's first winner of this award since Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.), who won it back on Oct. 5 of 2009. Chrismer scored two goals, one in each game against the Monarchs and the Cavaliers. She is tied for the team lead in scoring along with Allison.
Penn State's first home game will come on Sunday, Sept. 4 against No. 4 UConn. That game will be a Code Blue Blast event, where students can earn points for attending the event. The top 250 point-earners by the end of the school year will receive guaranteed football ticket purchasing opportunities. The top 10 point-earners will receive free football tickets for next year.
Check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued updates throughout the 2011 season. Follow Penn State field hockey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PennStateFH and www.twitter.com/GoPSUGreg.