Oct. 26, 2016
Bag Policy - Parking - Promotions
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 6 Penn State (13-2, 5-2 B1G) is set to host Big Ten opponent Indiana on Senior Night in the final home game of the regular season. The match is set for 6 p.m. Friday night at the Field Hockey Complex.
WEEKEND RECAP
The Nittany Lions improved to 5-2 in Big Ten conference play as they downed the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers 4-1 at Bauer Track and Field/Field Hockey Complex. Sophomore Aurelia Meijer scored three of four second half unanswered goals off of three penalties corners earning the second hat trick of her career matching the feat against Iowa last fall at home (10/23/15).
INDIANA SERIES HISTORY
Penn State is 18-4-0 all-time against the Hoosiers dating back to their first matchup on Oct. 14, 1978. The teams last met in the Big Ten tournament in 2015 when Penn State downed Indiana 3-1 in Bloomington, Ind. to advance to the semifinals.
SCOUTING INDIANA
In their last outing, the Indiana fell 1-0 to Ohio State in their final home game of the regular season. Indiana is currently 8-9 on the season and 3-4 in in conference play. The Hoosiers have recorded wins over two ranked opponents including a 1-0 shutout against then-No. 12 Michigan and a 2-1 victory over then-No. 6 Northwestern.
- Indiana has shutout three teams this season: UC Davis (2-0), Missouri State (5-0), No. 12 Michigan (1-0).
- Indiana is ranked No. 11 in the nation with a save percentage of .760.
- Kate Barger is both the lead goal soccer and point soccer for the Hoosiers, totaling 16 goals and four assists on the season for a total of 36 points.
NFHCA RANKINGS
Penn State held on to its No. 6 NFHCA rank in the latest coaches poll. Penn State is 6-2 against ranked teams including wins over No. 20 Old Dominion, No. 5 Virginia, No. 9 UAlbany, No. 16 Iowa, No. 8 Michigan and No. 11 Princeton.
Penn State is currently ranked in the top five in the nation in several key categories including No. 2 in the nation in scoring margin (2.93), No. 3 in goals per game (4.53), Points per game (12.47), scoring average (4.53) and No.4 nationally in assists per game (3.40).
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
22-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. 12 Lions have scored at least one goal, with seven of them scoring five or more through fifteen games this season.
YOUTHFUL TEAM
Holding an underclassmen to upperclassmen ratio of 17-10, No. 6 Penn State is one of two teams ranked No. 10 or better in the nation with more underclassmen than upperclassmen.
TOP OF THE CHARTS
Averaging 1.07 assist per game and 2.93 points per game, Penn State's Moira Putsch is ranked No. 1 and No. 4 in the nation respectively. Fellow Nittany Lion Aurelia Meijer is not too far behind as her .75 assist per game currently ranks No. 5. In the cage, Jenny Rizzo is ranked No .6 in goalie win-loss percentage at .846. Recording five defensive saves this season, Skyler Fretz is ranked No. 7 in the nation and currently tied for the conference lead with Malia Fujisawa of Indiana and Caroline Rath of Ohio State with five defensive saves on the season.
COUNTDOWN TO 500
Currently sitting at 496 career wins over her 33 years of coaching, head coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss is just four wins away from the 500 mark for her career.
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.
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