Feb. 19, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 17 Nittany Lion women's lacrosse team dropped its 2012 home opener on Sunday afternoon, falling to No. 2 Maryland (3-0), 16-6, in what was also the program's inaugural game at its new facility, Penn State Lacrosse Field.
Senior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) made a career-high 16 saves, including 12 in the first half, against a barrage of 37 Terrapin shots. The 2012 Tewaaraton Award Watch List nominee also led the Lions in ground balls with four. Sophomore Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) (2 goals, 1 assist) and freshman Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) (1 goal, 2 assists) topped Penn State (1-1) with three points each.
Maryland burst from the gates, building a quick 3-0 lead through the game's first eight-plus minutes. Freshman Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) got Penn State on the scoreboard for the second consecutive game, netting her third goal of the year at the 19:58 mark.
After the Terrapins responded with a 2-0 run, Cyr and McCormick combined for the Nittany Lions' second goal of the game. McCormick, who leads Penn State early on this season with four assists, served as the feeder while Cyr was the goal scorer. Maryland would go on finish the half by outscoring PSU, 5-1, to head into the break with a commanding 10-3 advantage. Cyr and McCormick once again teamed for the Lions' lone goal during the final stretch of the half.
Just after halftime, Maryland's Katie Schwarzmann netted her game-high sixth goal to swell the Terps' advantage to eight goals. Senior Aly Adams (Springfield, Pa.) put Penn State in the score column in the second half, converting on a free position attempt at the 26:32 mark to make the game 11-4.
With the pace slowed down considerably, Maryland embarked on a 3-0 over the span of nearly nine minutes to construct a 14-4 lead.
Penn State would go on to score two of the next three goals, with junior Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.), who would find net off a free position attempt, and McCormick accounting for the scores. McCormick's goal marked the third time on the day that she and Mackenzie Cyr worked together for points.
For the game, Penn State forced 10 of Maryland's 14 turnovers, with senior Colleen Shea (Baltimore, Md.) tallying a team high three. Coffey led the team in draw controls for the second straight game, securing three. The Terrapins held a 26-17 advantage on ground balls.
Penn State will finish out an early-season two-game home stand on Wednesday, Feb. 22 when it hosts in-state foe Duquesne for the first time in program history. The 7 p.m. contest will be held indoors in Holuba Hall. Next weekend, the Nittany Lions will travel to face Lafayette in a 1 p.m. non-conference game on Saturday, Feb. 25. A year ago, Penn State knocked off the Leopards, 17-9, in University Park.