April 26, 2013
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 6 Penn State women's lacrosse team will play its regular-season finale Saturday, April 27 when it travels to No. 13/18 Princeton. Opening draw at the Class of 1952 Stadium is set at 1 p.m.
The Nittany Lions (11-4, 4-1 ALC), who claimed a share of their first ALC regular-season championship, will face their eighth ranked opponent of the season when they battle the Tigers. Penn State will also search for its first 12-win regular season since the 2005 campaign.
In 2013, underclassmen continue to lead a Nittany Lions' attack that ranks 13th in the NCAA with 13.80 goals per game. Freshmen and sophomores have combined for 75 percent of the team's scoring, while second-year attacker Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) leads all Nittany Lions in goals (39), assists (30) and points (69). The Eldersburg, Md., native ranks 12th in the country in points per game (4.6), 13th in points (69) and 19th in assists (30).
Sophomore Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.), who fired a career-high five goals in a 15-14 victory against Johns Hopkins April 21, paces the team with 42 draw controls. Four-time ALC Rookie of the Week Jenna Mosketti (Fallston, Md.) ranks fourth on the team with 22 goals and is one of five Nittany Lions, including four underclassmen, with at least 10 ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers.
Along with McCormick, junior Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) has helped lead the Nittany Lion attack. The Westminster, Md., native and McCormick are the only Nittany Lions with double-digit goals and assists, while Cyr has collected 70 career helpers to rank seventh on the program's all-time list. The attacker also netted her team-leading fourth game-winning marker of the season in Penn State's ALC victory against Johns Hopkins.
Defensively, senior Katie Guy (Whitby, Ont.) ranks 11th in the NCAA with 1.93 caused turnovers per game and leads the team with 38 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers. Redshirt senior Colleen Shea (Baltimore, Md.) has contributed 13 caused turnovers and nine ground balls.
Princeton (9-5, 6-1 Ivy) will enter its Senior Day matchup after defeating Dartmouth, 15-13, in its last game. Sophomore Erin McMunn paces the squad with 34 goals and 24 assists, while junior Sarah Lloyd has collected 29 points (15g, 14a). Junior goalkeeper Caroline Franke has compiled an 8-4 record with a 10.18 goals-against average and .439 save percentage.
The Nittany Lions, who will look for their first win against the Tigers since 2007, are 12-21 all-time against Princeton. In their last matchup, Penn State erased a 9-4 deficit to the tie the game at 11-11, but Princeton outscored the Nittany Lions, 2-1, in the extra frame to secure the 13-12 victory.
Head coach Missy Doherty is no stranger to Princeton as she helped lead the Tigers to a pair of national titles during her three seasons as assistant coach. Nittany Lion assistant coach Amy Altig also spent three years as a Tiger assistant before coming to Happy Valley.
Following Saturday afternoon's game, the Nittany Lions will head to the ALC tournament, where they will face sixth-seeded Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals Thursday, May 2. Opening draw at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field is set at 6:30 p.m.