May 2, 2018
By: Briana Zuccarelli, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- With the Big Ten Tournament beginning this week, the Nittany Lions are preparing physically and mentally for what is to come.
While getting ready for one of the most important games of their season, the Penn State team was also focused on finishing the academic year strong and taking its final exams. Head coach Missy Doherty wants to make sure that the girls head into the tournament ready to play.
"Exam week is going to be over for us as they are finishing up today and tomorrow," Doherty said. "It will be nice to have that weight of their shoulders a little bit. A new season, new opportunity with four teams in it and we're proud to be on of the best four teams in the conference with the number 3 seed."
The team will go travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday to take on the No. 2 seed, Northwestern, in the second semifinal. Coach Doherty reflected on when the two teams met just a few short weeks ago.
"I think we have to be ready to help defensively," Doherty said on where her team needs to improve following the earlier season loss. "A couple times we got caught just watching them come in and not sending help soon enough for some goals. A couple tough breaks didn't go our way so we want to do everything to make that happen."
The last time Northwestern and Penn State met was in mid-April, where the Nittany Lions fell in a 17-13 loss.
Despite the outcome in that game, that was one of the many times throughout the later part of the season the team has seen encouraging things in the freshman class.
"I think that our freshmen have stepped up in a lot of ways, which is hard because there are so many of them starting this year on an especially young team," captain Kayla Brisolari shared. "I think they've grown into themselves, they've showed a lot of confidence, and they are willing to shoot the ball in big moments during our big games."
In that mix of freshmen starters is Sophia Triandafils, who already shows a great level of confidence according to sophomore Kristen Roberto.
"Coming in as a freshman, she has already made such a big difference on our team," Roberto said. "She's only going to keep getting better as she gets older."
Freshman goalie Lucy Lowe has also grown in her position from the beginning of the season. From only playing half the game in the start of the season, to playing all 60 minutes, Lowe has made massive saves for the team that don't go unrecognized.
This past weekend, Lowe tied her career-high with 13 saves against Michigan, which she originally set in the matchup against Northwestern.
"Lucy has done an incredible job for us," Roberto said as she praised the young goalie. "She has come up with huge saves for us which is amazing as a freshman. She's only going to get better and better each year and I can't wait to watch her grow as a player."
As the team continues to prepare in hopes of winning a Big Ten Championship, they share some words of advice to the younger players who have yet to play in a tournament.
"Just need to continue taking chances," Doherty said. "There has been a lot of pressure on the freshmen and sophomores this year to step up. We have a lot of them in the starting lineup, so we want them to be able to assert themselves. We need more of everyone on the team being leaders."
Penn State may be young, but the Nittany Lions know they have what it takes to be successful if they focus on improving the little things and continue to be aggressive.