April 19, 2012
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 10 Penn State women's lacrosse team will play its final conference home game of the 2012 season on Saturday afternoon when it hosts No. 18 Johns Hopkins (7-6, 0-3). The clash of ALC foes is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Penn State Lacrosse Field.
Fans should be aware that the annual Blue-White football game will also take place on Saturday, with the kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m. While parking remains free of charge, no special areas will be reserved for lacrosse spectators. Lot 44, the large paved lot adjacent to the Bryce Jordan Center and the Multi-Sport Facility, can only be accessed via Porter Road from College Avenue. Any spectator coming in on Park Avenue will be directed to lots along that road. Also, fans should plan to arrive early, as lots open at 8 a.m. and parking spots near the field will be at a premium.
Penn State head coach Missy Doherty enters Saturday's game one win shy of 100 for her career. Overall, she owns a 99-58 record, including a 20-12 mark in two years at the helm of the Nittany Lion program. In addition, if Penn State should get past Johns Hopkins, the Nittany Lions would surpass the 10-win plateau for the time since 2005, the last year it earned a berth to the NCAA Championship.
Penn State (10-4, 2-2) knocked off its third top 10-ranked opponent of the season last weekend, as the Nittany Lions downed No. 10 Ohio State, 15-12, on the road in front of a national television audience on the Big Ten Network. With the win, Penn State's seventh consecutive over the Buckeyes, the Lions finished the regular season with a stellar 7-1 road record. Penn State got career-best offensive performances from sophomore Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) and freshman Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.), who each notched eight points (4 goals, 4 assists), and freshman Haley Ford (White Hall, Md.), who netted four goals.
For her standout play versus Ohio State, McCormick earned both conference and national honors. She was named ALC, WomensLax.com, and Synapse Sports Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. McCormick leads Penn State and ranks second nationally among freshmen with 23 assists.
Johns Hopkins has lost four straight games, all to ranked teams, including last weekend's 16-12 loss to No. 1 Northwestern in Evanston. Sophomore Taylor D'Amore leads the Blue Jays in assists (28), points (54), and draw controls (55) while senior Colleen McCaffrey is the team's top goal scorer (32). With 26 goals and 20 assists, senior Candace Rossi is also a prime weapon in the Hopkins offensive arsenal. Junior Cosette Larash (7 starts) and freshman KC Emerson (6 starts) have split time in goal this season.
Penn State owns an 8-3 record in its all-time series with Johns Hopkins, with 10 of the 11 meetings taking place during the regular season. A year ago, Penn State defeated the Blue Jays twice, claiming a 10-7 regular season win in Baltimore and a 17-11 victory in the first round of the ALC Championship. The Nittany Lions dropped a 12-7 decision the last time Johns Hopkins visited Happy Valley, in 2010.
Fans can also track all of the action of the Penn State-Johns Hopkins match with live stats from GameTracker or receive game updates by following the official Twitter account of the Penn State women's lacrosse team, @GoPSUWLax. Find links on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
Penn State will finish out its 2012 regular season schedule on Saturday, April 28 when it hosts Princeton (6-6) for a 3 p.m. Senior Day contest. Aly Adams (Springfield, Pa.), Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.), Brittaney Chamberlain (Finksburg, Md.), Kelsey Hughes (Severna Park, Md.), Colleen Shea (Baltimore, Md.), Elaine Welch (Bernardsville, N.J.), and Theresa Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.) will appear in their final regular season game in a Nittany Lion uniform. A special ceremony to honor their careers and contributions will precede the contest.