March 1, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 19 Penn State women's lacrosse team will face its second ACC opponent of the 2012 season on Sunday at 1 p.m. when it clashes with perennial power No. 6 Virginia (3-0) at Penn State Lacrosse Field.
Fans attending Sunday's games should park in the lot east of the Multi-Sport Facility and the Bryce Jordan Center (Lot 44). Penn State Lacrosse Field is a short walk from the lot. Admission for all home Penn State women's lacrosse games is free.
Penn State (3-1) overcame gusty winds and cold temps to secure its second road win of the season, defeating Lafayette, 14-10, last weekend in Easton. Freshman Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) headlined the Nittany Lion offense, netting a season-high four goals, including two on free position conversions. Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) totaled three points, notching two goals and one assist, while Katie Guy (Whitby, Ont.), Lizzy Carney (West Chester, Pa.), and Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) had two goals each.
Coffey was named ALC Rookie of the Week on Monday for the first time in her career for her role in wins over Duquesne and Lafayette. She totaled a combined six goals, seven draw controls, two ground balls, and one caused turnover in the victories. In the starting line-up for each of the first four games, Coffey leads Penn State in goals (9), draw controls (16), and caused turnovers (tie, 6) and ranks second on the team in ground balls (tie, 7) and third in points (tie, 9). Another member of the Nittany Lions' talented underclass, freshman Maggie McCormick, tops PSU in assists with seven and shares the team lead in points (12).
Virginia, which will face archrival No. 2 Maryland on Friday before it heads to Happy Valley, has topped No. 7 Loyola (14-9), Richmond (12-9), and No. 12 Syracuse (9-7) en route to its unbeaten start to the season. The UVa offense is headlined by a trio of Cavaliers in senior Josie Owen (4 goals, 8 assists), redshirt freshman Liza Blue (7 goals, 2 assists), and redshirt senior Ainsley Baker (7 goals). Blue is also key to the Virginia draw, as she tops the team with 13 draw controls. Junior goalkeeper Kim Kolarik has played every minute of all three games, compiling a .537 save percentage and 8.33 goals against average.
Penn State possesses a 14-18 all-time series record versus Virginia. The Nittany Lions have dropped six straight meetings in the series, last winning in 2005, a 10-7 triumph in Charlottesville.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Virginia 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 wrap up a two-game home stand on Wednesday, March 7 when it takes on No. 12 Loyola (Md.) (2-1). A year ago, the Nittany Lions fell to the Greyhounds, 10-7, in Baltimore. Following the Loyola game, PSU will embark on a three-game road swing, traveling to meet Delaware (March 10), Hofstra (March 14), and No. 11 Vanderbilt (March 18).