April 27, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Nittany Lion women's lacrosse team will finish out the 2012 regular season schedule on Saturday when it hosts No. 17 Princeton (7-7) in a 3 p.m. Senior Day contest at Penn State Lacrosse Field. The non-conference match-up will complete a double header of Penn State lacrosse action, as the No. 14/15 Nittany Lion men's team is scheduled to face Hofstra in a CAA showdown at noon.
Six seniors, Aly Adams (Springfield, Pa.), Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.), Brittaney Chamberlain (Finksburg, Md.), Kelsey Hughes (Severna Park, Md.), Elaine Welch (Bernardsville, N.J.), and Theresa Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.) will play their final home regular season game in a Penn State uniform when they take the field versus the Tigers. A special ceremony to honor their careers and contributions will precede the contest.
Last weekend, head coach Missy Doherty collected her 100th career win, as Penn State topped No. 18 Johns Hopkins, 12-9, at Penn State Lacrosse Field. Four different Nittany Lions totaled three points, including sophomore Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) and junior Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.), who each netted hat tricks. Freshmen Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) (2 goals, 1 assist) and Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) (1 goal, 2 assists) also contributed to the balanced offensive attack.
With the outcome, Penn State (11-4) surpassed the 10-win plateau for the first time since 2005, the last year it earned a berth to the NCAA Championship. The victory also moved the Nittany Lions to a No. 8 national ranking, their highest of the season.
Princeton enters Saturday's game having lost three of its last four, including a 13-8 setback to Ivy League rival Penn on Wednesday. The Tigers' lone win in that span was big one, however, as they knocked off conference foe No. 8 Dartmouth, 12-9, at home. The Princeton offense features two 30 goal-plus scorers in Cassie Pyle (38) and Jaci Gassaway (33) while Erin McMunn leads the team in assists with 27. Goalkeeper Annie Woehling, who has started all 14 games this season, ranks 13th in the nation in goals against average (9.39) and owns a .419 save percentage.
One of Penn State's most recurring rivalries in the program's storied history, the Nittany Lions have played 32 games versus Princeton since 1982, posting a 12-20 record. A year ago, Penn State ended the 2011 season with a 19-10 loss to the Tigers in New Jersey. The entire Penn State coaching staff has ties to Princeton, as Missy Doherty, Tara Hohenshelt, and Amy Altig have each previously served as assistants with the Tigers at different times. Princeton's visit to Happy Valley will be a homecoming for former Nittany Lion great Michele DeJuliis, who is an eight-year member of the Tigers' coaching staff.
Fans can also track all of the action of the Penn State-Princeton 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 serve as the No. 3 seed for the ALC Championship, which is scheduled for May 3-5 in Gainesville, Fla. The Nittany Lions will play an opening round game on Thursday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at host Florida's Dizney Stadium against an opponent yet to be determined. Penn State is 5-0 all-time in first round ALC Championship contests.