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April 29, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 7/8 Penn State women's lacrosse team will open the 2014 ALC Championships Thursday, May 1 when it faces No. 8/6 Johns Hopkins at Northwestern University's Lakeside Field. Opening draw between the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions (10-6) and fifth-seeded Blue Jays (14-3) is set for 3 p.m. ET.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Fans can follow all the action from the ALC tournament by visiting the tournament central page, which will include live video and GameTracker links for all games. All live video streams require a paid subscription. Penn State links are also available on the team's schedule page at GoPSUsports.com.
NITTANY LIONS TO FACE JOHNS HOPKINS IN ALC FIRST ROUND
Penn State will begin postseason play with a Thursday afternoon matchup against Johns Hopkins in the first round of the 2014 ALC Championship. The Nittany Lions and Blue Jays will square off in ALC tournament play for the third time after previously meeting in 2011 and 2012.
PENN STATE ENTERS ALC CHAMPIONSHIPS AS NO. 4 SEED
The Nittany Lions, who finished the ALC season in a three-way tie for third place at 3-3, will enter the ALC championship as the No. 4 seed. Penn State will face fifth-seeded Johns Hopkins in the first round. If victorious, the Nittany Lions will play top-seeded Florida in the ALC semifinals Friday, May 2.
NITTANY LIONS IN THE ALC TOURNAMENT
Penn State is 6-7 all-time in the ALC tournament and 1-1 against the Blue Jays. The Nittany Lions defeated Johns Hopkins, 17-11, in the 2011 tournament at Vanderbilt and fell to the Blue Jays, 13-12, during the 2012 edition in Happy Valley.
LAST TIME VS. THE BLUE JAYS
Penn State evened its conference record at 3-3 with a 12-10 comeback victory against Johns Hopkins April 18. Trailing by a 7-4 margin at the half, the Nittany Lions opened the second stanza with four straight markers, including three from sophomore Madison Cyr in a 26-second span, to take an 8-7 lead. The Blue Jays later tied the game at 8-8 and 9-9 before Penn State tallied three of the final four goals en route to the two-goal triumph. Attacker Mackenzie Cyr registered a game-high three helpers as she eclipsed 100 assists for her career.
Final Stats (PSU-JHU): Shots (26-18), Saves (6-8), Ground Balls (8-10), Draw Controls (15-9), Turnovers (8-8), Caused Turnovers (6-6).
ANOTHER 10-WIN SEASON
With a 13-12 victory against Princeton in their regular-season finale, the Nittany Lions secured their fifth straight 10-win season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
In her final home game of her career vs. Princeton, senior Mackenzie Cyr secured her first six-point game since May 12, 2013 with three goals and three assists. The standout now boasts career totals of 105 assists and 199 points as she ranks third and 10th, respectively, on the program's all-time list.
Julie Tice (115) and Marsha Florio (109) are the only other Nittany Lions with more assists.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Sophomore midfielder Madison Cyr, who boasts a 13-game point-scoring streak, leads Penn State in points (45) and goals (39). Against Cornell, Cyr registered a career-high five goals and tied her career high with four caused turnovers. In an 18-11 victory against Loyola March 8, Cyr set career highs in points (6) and draw controls (5), while matching her career high in assists (2).
LIONS AMONG ALC LEADERS
Senior Lauren Purvis leads the league in caused turnovers per game (1.81), while Maggie McCormick and Mackenzie Cyr are tied for fourth in assists (24). Sophomore Madison Cyr ranks fourth in caused turnovers (1.19), fifth in goals (39) and seventh in points (45). Sophomore Jenna Mosketti ranks third in draw controls (4.13).
CYR HAULS IN PAIR OF HONORS
After sparking the Nittany Lions' 12-10 come-from-behind victory against then-No. 7/5 Johns Hopkins Friday, April 18, sophomore midfielder Madison Cyr earned ALC Offensive and WomensLax.com Player of the Week honors. The sophomore led Penn State with four second-half goals, including three in a 26-second span, during the team's pivotal conference victory. The midfielder, who netted at least four goals in a game for the fourth time this season, added a game-high five draw controls along with two ground balls.
BALANCED ATTACK
The Nittany Lions boast the nation's 15th-ranked offense with an average of 13.25 goals per game. Eight Nittany Lions have recorded at least 16 goals.
LOOKING AHEAD
If Penn State defeats the Blue Jays, it will face top-seeded Florida Friday (May 2) at 5:30 p.m. ET.