March 6, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 12 Penn State women's lacrosse team will conclude a two game home stand on Wednesday when it faces No. 17 Loyola (1-2) in a 4 p.m. non-conference contest at Penn State Lacrosse Field.
Fans attending Wednesday'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 (4-1) gained a win over its highest ranked opponent in the Missy Doherty head coaching era and decisively snapped a six-game losing streak to Virginia, as the Nittany Lions doubled up the No. 6 Cavaliers, 14-7, on Sunday. Freshman Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) led the Nittany Lions with six points (2 goals, 4 assists) while senior Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.) had a team-best four goals and sophomore Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) chipped in three goals and two assists. Senior goalkeeper Dana Cahill anchored a standout team defensive effort, recording nine saves, including stopping three of UVa's four free position attempts.
For their standout performances versus the Cavaliers, Cahill was named ALC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in her career while McCormick received her first-ever ALC Rookie of the Week accolade. McCormick also earned national recognition for her stellar play, as she was selected as WomensLax.com's Rookie of the Week.
Loyola is coming off a 7-6 home defeat to Baltimore rival Towson on March 3, which followed a season-opening loss to No. 10 Virginia (14-9) and a win over No. 20 Johns Hopkins (11-7). The Greyhounds are getting balanced offensive production to this point in the season, with four players netting five or more goals. Freshman Hannah Schmitt has a team-high six goals while sophomore Marlee Paton leads the team in points with eight (5 goals, 3 assists). Senior goalkeeper Kerry Stoothoff, a preseason All-BIG EAST selection, has started every game in net, compiling a 9.01 goals against average and a .491 save percentage.
Penn State owns a 13-12 record in its all-time series with Loyola. The Nittany Lions had a five-game winning streak versus the Greyhounds ended a year ago, as Loyola overcame a three-goal halftime deficit to claim 10-7 victory in Baltimore.
Fans can follow all of the action of the Penn State-Loyola 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 kick off a three-game road swing on Saturday, March 10 when it visits Delaware (2-3) for a 12 p.m. non-conference contest at Tubby Raymond Field in Newark. A year ago, the Nittany Lions used a balance offensive performance, with seven different players netting a goal, and a strong defensive effort to down the Blue Hens, 11-3, in Happy Valley.