March 12, 2013
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 7/9 Penn State women's lacrosse team will play its fourth ranked opponent of the season when it travels to upstate New York for a Wednesday night matchup at Schoellkopf Field against No. 14/16 Cornell. Opening draw between the Nittany Lions (4-2) and Big Red (4-0) is set at 4 p.m.
A live, pay-per-view video stream and live stats will be available through CornellBigRed.com.
Penn State will enter the midweek game following a tough 20-10 setback against top-ranked Maryland March 9. Sophomore attack Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) led the Lion contingent with four goals, but Penn State was unable to contain Maryland's high-powered attack, which opened the game with five straight markers.
An Eldersburg, Md., native, McCormick paces the Penn State squad in goals (16), assists (14) and points (30). The sophomore's 30 points are good for 12th in the NCAA, while her 14 assists rank 13th in the nation. Sophomore midfielder Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.) continues to lead the Lions with 23 draw controls, while senior Katie Guy's (Whitby, Ont.) 17 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers are team highs.
As a team, the Nittany Lions, who are 1-2 against ranked opponents this season, rank fifth in the country in draw controls per game (15.33) and 14th in points (122).
Led by two-time Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week Lindsay Toppe, Cornell will enter the game with an unblemished 4-0 record. Toppe, who ranks second in the nation in goals per game and third in points per game, leads a Big Red attack that ranks third in the NCAA in scoring offense (16.00). On the defensive end, senior defender Kate Ivory ranks third in the country in ground balls per game and fifth in caused turnovers per game.
In their last game, the Big Red doubled Columbia, 14-7, March 9. Toppe led Cornell with four goals, while three student-athletes contributed a pair of markers each. Goalkeeper Courtney Gallagher garnered her fourth victory of the season with nine saves.
Penn State, which leads the all-time series against Cornell by a 6-1 margin, will meet the Big Red for the first time since the 2001 season. The teams met six times from 1968-75, with the 1975 contest marking the Nittany Lions' last victory.
Following the game, the Nittany Lions will open conference play Sunday, March 17 when they welcome Vanderbilt. Opening draw is set at noon.