Sept. 21, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 3 Penn State welcomes conference foes Northwestern and Michigan to Happy Valley for the penultimate weekend of hockey in University Park. The Nittany Lions will face No. 14 Northwestern Friday at 5 p.m., followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup against No. 9 Michigan to cap the weekend of conference play.
NORTHWESTERN SERIES HISTORY
Penn State leads 29-6-1 all-time in their series with the Wildcats dating back to 1992. Penn State is currently on a one-game slide vs. Northwestern, dropping their first game of the season last year on the road Sept. 23, 2016, in a 5-3 decision.
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN
The Wildcats sit at 6-3 on the year currently riding a four-game win streak that includes a win over No. 15 Louisville this past Tuesday.
- Kirsten Mansfield leads the Wildcats in goals (4) as well as shooting at 1.000% on the season having only attempted four shots this year.
- Puck Pentenga has recorded eight assists this season that is second in the Big Ten and T-10th nationally.
MICHIGAN SERIES HISTORY
Penn State is 26-19 all-time in their series with the Wolverines dating back to 1992. Penn State beat Michigan 1-0 in its last meeting on Nov. 4, 2016, en route to the Big Ten Championship game last season.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines are currently on a two-game winning streak that has seen the Maize & Blue outscore their opponents 15-0 in the wins over UC-Davis and Michigan State in Ann Arbor.
- Michigan started the year 4-0 before dropping back-to-back games prior to the current two-game winning streak. The Wolverines are ranked No. 9 in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Coaches Poll.
- Meg Dowthwaite leads Michigan in goals with seven on the year that and is currently ranked T-No. 8 nationally in goals per game averaging 1.00.
- Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort is ranked T-No. 6 in the NCAA in assists per game currently contributing at a clip of 1.00 per contest.
PENN STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Penn State (7-1) checked in at the No. 3 spot in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll, as released Tuesday morning.
UConn is the last undefeated team left in the country, and the Huskies are also the No. 1-ranked squad in the (NFHCA) Division I National Coaches Poll.
Duke inched up two places to No. 2 in the poll, followed by No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Virginia and No. 5 Delaware
Penn State at No. 3 is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the poll ahead of No. 9 Michigan, No. 10 Maryland, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 19 Iowa, and No. 23 Rutgers.
WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY BRAMLEY!
What a week it was for Gini Bramley. The junior midfielder earned Big Ten Offensive player of the week honors as well as being named the National Offensive player of the week by NFHCA. Bramley joins Jen Beaumont (10/28/08), Allison Scola (10/14/08) and Jen Long (11/13/07) as the only other Nittany Lions to earn National Player of the Week honors. On top of the fantastic week (Aug. 25-27) on the field for the Elizabethtown, Pa. native, Bramley celebrated her birthday the same weekend, turning 20-years-old on Aug. 28.
BIG TEN ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Through four weeks of play, two Nittany Lions have been selected as Big Ten Player of the Week, respectively. Gini Bramley earned the distinction during the opening week of play while Jenny Rizzo earned the nod following shutouts against Temple and Wake Forest.
Offensive Player of the Week (8/28/17)
Gini Bramley, Penn State
M - Jr. - Elizabethtown, Pa. - Lower Dauphin
• Guided No. 7 Penn State to victories over No. 23 Old Dominion and No. 10 Virginia
•Scored two goals and added one assist against Old Dominion
•Scored two goals and tallied two assists in Penn State's, 4-2, win over Virginia
Defensive Player of the Week (9/5/17)
Jenny Rizzo, Penn State
GK - Jr. - Hershey, Pa. - Hershey
• Anchored a Penn State defense that defeated Temple, 5-0, and No. 15 Wake Forest, 6-0
• Posted two shutouts in Penn State's home opening weekend
• Recorded a season-high nine saves
• Earns her second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor and her first of the season
• Last Penn State Defensive Player of the Week: Jenny Rizzo (Oct. 4, 2016)
CHEERING ON THE BLUE & WHITE
Penn State finished the 2016 season ranked No. 1 in average attendance in the nation. Penn State broke the Field Hockey Complex record with a total of 967 in attendance for a conference game against Maryland and was a part of the most attended game during the 2016 season as the Nittany Lions captured the Big Ten Tournament title against the very same Terrapins in College Park that was played in front of 969 fans.
ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS
A few Nittany Lions are among the best in the nation in their respective categories among active student-athletes, as well as a few that are rising in the Penn State laurels.
Moira Putsch
- Third-most total assist among active athletes (35), third-most assists per game (0.69)
- Ranked T-No. 10 in PSU history in assists
- Averages the seventh-most points per game among active athletes (2.02)
- 15th-most assists among active athletes (22)
- Holds the seventh-best GAA among active athletes (1.48)
IN THE SPOTLIGHT ON BTN
Penn State will play on BTN live Sunday, Oct. 15 starting at 3:00 p.m. as the Nittany Lions take on Maryland in College Park, Md. The crucial contest will be the Nittany Lion's third to last before the Big Ten tournament and is a rematch of last year's Big Ten Tournament Championship game that saw Penn State win its conference record seventh Big Ten tournament title. Penn State's game at Ohio State (Oct. 6) will also be streamed on BTN.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
Seniors Shay Cannon (16) and Skyler Fretz (11) were named the captains for the 2017 season.
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