Sept. 29, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Posting a 1-1 record last weekend, No. 5 Penn State (9-1) is set to host two games this weekend at Field Hockey Complex.
WEEKEND RECAP
Penn State fell to No. 11 Northwestern 5-3 Friday afternoon but rebounded Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 win over No. 8 Michigan. The 5-3 loss to Northwestern was the first of the season as the Lions gave up a season high five goals.
MICHIGAN STATE SERIES HISTORY
Penn State is 28-10-0 against Michigan in a series that dates back to 1987. The last time these two teams faced each other, in 2015, the Nittany Lions scored a season high 6 goals to beat the Spartans 6-1.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
- Michigan split a pair of games this past weekend moving their record to 5-4 on the season. Saturday afternoon, Michigan fell 2-0 to Miami (Oh.) in a non-conference match. The Spartans were able to rebound Sunday afternoon defeating Ohio State 4-2 to earn their first Big Ten win of the season.
-Michigan State is ranked No. 10 in the nation in both goals per game (3.67) and scoring average (3.65).
- The Spartans are 1-1 on the road, falling to Kent State 3-1 followed by a 9-2 win over Villanova in the same weekend.
- Kendal Anderson leads the way for the Spartans this season with nine goals and seven assists (25 pts).
PRINCETON SERIES HISTORY
Penn State is 25-9-0 all-time against Princeton in a series dating back to 1979. The Nittany Lions last faced the Tigers in 2015, losing 2-0.
SCOUTING PRINCETON
Princeton split their matches last week as they lost to Maryland (2-1) and defeated Dartmouth (4-0). Princeton is 5-3 on the season and currently ranked No. 11 in the country.
The Tigers are ranked No. 16 in the nation in goal against average ( 1.63);
Ryan McCarthy leads the Tigers with seven goals and three assists (17 points). She is currently the Ivy League leader in goals.
NFHCA RANKINGS
The Nittany Lions move back one spot in the NFHCA poll to No. 5. Penn State has achieved this ranking by defeating five ranked teams (No. 20 Old Dominion, No. 5 Virginia, No. 9 Albany, No. 16 Iowa, No. 8 Michigan).
Penn State is currently ranked in the top five in the nation in several key categories including No. 1 in the nation in penalty corners per game (9.4), No. 2 in the nation in goals per game (5.0), scoring average (5.00), points per game (13.40), winning percentage (.900) and No. 3 in the nation in scoring margin.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
24-of-27 players on the Lions roster have seen significant playing time this season allowing for Penn State to score in a plethora of ways. Eleven Lions have scored at least one goal, with four of them scoring five or more through ten games this season.
TOP OF THE CHARTS
In the cage for Penn State, sophomore Jenny Rizzo is tied for second in the nation in goalkeeper win-loss percentage (.889%). Her teammate Moira Putsch is tied for seventh in the nation in the nation for points per game (2.80 pts per game)
COUNTDOWN TO 500
Currently sitting at 492 career wins, head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss is just eight wins away from the 500 mark for her career.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
With a 4-0 recorded at home, including two wins over ranked opponents (No. 20 Old Dominion, No. 5 Virginia), the Nittany Lions have been able to put up 22 goals and hold their opponents to a total of four in the confines of Nittany Lion Field Hockey Complex.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT ON BTN
Field hockey will have its penultimate home game against Maryland broadcasted on BTN live Sunday, Oct. 16 starting at 4:00 p.m. The crucial contest will be the Nittany Lion's third to last before the Big Ten tournament. Penn State's game at Michigan this week (Sept. 25) will also be streamed on BTN.
POSTSEASON TRADITION
The Nittany Lions return after making the NCAA Tournament field five of the last six seasons. Penn State has been at the top of the Big Ten in those seasons as well, being named co-conference regular season champions in 2013 and the outright winner in 2012. The squad won the Big Ten Tournament in 2011 and 2012.
GAMEDAY PARKING
Spectator parking is available free of charge after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 30 in the Stadium West parking lot. Please enter off of Park Avenue at the Stadium West traffic light. The Yellow parking lots at Wagner, Shields and Pegula closest to the Field Hockey Field are patrolled Monday thru Friday until 9:00 p.m. There is a concert in the Bryce Jordan Center at the corner of University Drive and Curtin Road at 8:00 p.m. Traffic may be heavy at the end of our field hockey game.
Penn State field hockey is on social media. Follow the program on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PennStateFieldHockey) and Twitter/Instagram @PennStateFH. For all of your Penn State news, visit www.GoPSUsports.com