Sept. 23, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team (6-3) will open up Big Ten play this Sunday at the 13th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. at Grant Field. The Nittany Lions have lost their previous two games in Iowa City, last winning there in 2005.
The game can be followed via a live stats link on GoPSUSports.com. The contest can also be viewed live on BTN.com through the Big Ten Network's "Student U" production.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 4-0 victory over Temple on Thursday at the Penn State Field Hockey complex. Junior Kelsey Amy (Sweet Valley, Pa.), who ranks third in the conference in goals, scored two for Penn State. Sophomore Lauren Purvis (Maple Glen, Pa.) and freshman Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Va.) also netted goals for the Nittany Lions. Freshman Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) added an assist for the Lions, her eighth of the season, which ranks second in the Big Ten.
Iowa heads into this weekends matchups with Michigan State and PSU at 7-1 overall with a 4-0 mark in home games. The Hawkeyes are a tough team to defend, as they lead the conference in scoring margin (3.12), scoring average (4.83) and shots (20.9). Leading the way for Iowa is the Big Ten's leading scorer Kim Scraper, who has 14 goals and one assist on the season. Scraper has netted three game winning goals this year and has recorded 36 shots. Sarah Drake is second on the team in points (13), coming on six goals and one assist. Kathleen McGraw will make the start in the cage, as she has posted two shutouts this season.
Penn State holds a tight 23-18-1 advantage in the all-time series with Iowa. The Hawkeyes have won two of the last three matchups overall. However, the Nittany Lions won last year's game in a 5-3 decision at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Penn State is just 3-11 in games played at Iowa.
Following Iowa this weekend, Penn State will return home and face Northwestern next Saturday at noon. The game will be broadcasted for tape delay on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State hosts the 2011 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament from Nov. 3-6. Tickets for the Big Ten Tournament can be purchased by contacting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office at 814-865-5555. All session passes are $18 for adults and $12 for students/senior citizens. Single session tickets will run at $8 for adults and $5 for students/senior citizens. Groups of 15 people or more may also purchase tickets at $12 for all session passes and $5 for a single session. Check back to GoPSUsports.com for continued Penn State Field Hockey updates throughout the 2011 season. Follow Penn State field hockey on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PennStateFH and www.twitter.com/GoPSUGreg.