Sept. 27, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions travel to the Hoosier state for a neutral site match against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday at 2 p.m. before opening up Big Ten play with a contest against Indiana on Sunday at noon.
The Nittany Lions took care of business last weekend in a home match against No. 16 Delaware and on the road at Lafayette. Penn State used a dominating second half performance of four goals to cruise to a comfortable 5-0 win over the Blue Hens on Friday evening. PSU allowed Delaware only one shot attempt in the entire 70 minutes.
After the victory, the team continued its great defensive play in the 3-0 shutout of Lafayette. The Blue and White has now shutout three of its last four opponents on its way to a four match winning streak. Brittany Grzywacz and Jenna Chrismer each scored a goal in both matches, while Taylor Herold found the back of the cage twice against Delaware.
The RedHawks and Nittany Lions will meet for the second time in history on Saturday afternoon, when the two sides take the field in Bloomington. Penn State first played Miami over thirty years ago in 1980. The two teams played in the AIAW National Tournament, with Penn State claiming a 2-0 victory on its way to becoming the national champion under head coach Gillian Rattray. Saturday will be the first time the two squads have met in the regular season.
Miami comes into the weekend with a 5-4 record. The RedHawks have won three of their last four contests, scoring at least three goals in each of the wins, including back-to-back four goal performances. Each of Miami's four losses have come to teams who are currently ranked in the top 20, dropping matches to No. 2 Maryland, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 15 Wake Forest and No. 20 Boston University.
Penn State and Indiana have played 18 times prior to Sunday's showdown. The Nittany Lions hold a commanding 15-3 advantage over the Hoosiers in the series, with the Blue and White winning the last four matches in a row, outscoring the Hoosiers 18-3 in that timeframe. The last Indiana win came on November 6, 2009 in the Big Ten Tourney by a final of 3-1. In 2011 the Lions won by a final of 6-2 and in 2012 PSU won 7-1.
After dropping their first two matches of the year against now ranked Duke and Drexel, the Hoosiers have won five-straight matches coming into the weekend. Indiana has outscored the opposition by a combined 34-2 during the winning streak. IU has scored at least three goals in each match and has allowed no more than one goal during the five match stretch, recording three shutouts. The Hoosiers are undefeated at home entering this weekend's matchups.
Upon return from Indiana, the Lions will begin preparing for a tough matchup against Northwestern. Penn State will host the Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. The Blue and White will have revenge on its mind, as Northwestern was the only Big Ten opponent to defeat the Nittany Lions last season, as Penn State went 5-1 on the way to capturing the conference championship.