Feb. 23, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 17th-ranked Penn State women's lacrosse team will make its second road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Easton, Pa. to face Lafayette (2-0) on Saturday in a 1 p.m. game at Rappolt Field.
On Wednesday, after playing Duquesne even for the game's first 12-plus minutes, the Nittany Lions took control, scoring the 13 of the next 15 goals to dispatch the Dukes, 16-5. Junior Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.) netted a career-high five goals while the freshman tandem of Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) (2 goals, 3 assists) and Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.) (2 goals, 2 assists) combined to tally nine points.
Senior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) anchored a Penn State defense that allowed just one second half goal and two goals in the game's final 42-plus minutes. She totaled double digit saves for the second straight game, recording 13.
Through the season's first three games, Penn State's young players are making an impact, as 37 of the team's 55 points (67%) have been notched by underclassmen. McCormick leads the Lions in assists (7) and points (10) while sophomore Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) ranks second in points with nine. Lechner and fellow freshman Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) have each scored five goals.
Lafayette, which was selected to place sixth in the Patriot League Preseason Poll, has hit the ground running in 2012, securing dominating wins over Liberty (15-3) and Wagner (18-7) to start the season. Junior Addie Godfrey leads the Leopards with nine goals while sophomore Ana White tops the team in points (10), assists (4), and draw controls (14). Freshman goalkeeper Mimi Connell has started each game, compiling a 4.82 goals against average.
Penn State (2-1) holds a 19-2 record in the program's all-time series with Lafayette. A year ago, behind a career-high six points (3 goals, 3 assists) from Mackenzie Cyr, Penn State claimed a 17-9 victory in University Park. Combining the Nittany Lions' last three meetings with the Leopards, all wins, PSU has outscored its in-state foe 56-21.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Lafayette game with live stats and instant scoring updates from GameTracker. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State will return home to start a two-game home stand on Sunday, March 4 when it welcomes No. 10 Virginia (2-0) to Happy Valley for a 1 p.m. contest. The ALC-ACC match-up will either be held outdoors at Penn State Lacrosse Field or indoors at Holuba Hall. The Nittany Lions have dropped six straight meetings in the series, including last year's 10-5 setback in Charlottesville.