THIS WEEK'S ACTION
#6 Penn State (1-0, 0-0 B1G) at Temple (0-2)
DATE: Friday, August 31 -- 6 p.m.
SITE: Philadelphia, Pa.
Penn State Head Coach: Char Morett-Curtiss
Virginia Head Coach: Marybeth Freeman
All-Time Series: Penn State leads 35-7-2
Last Meeting: W, 5-0 at home on 9/1/17
THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW
The Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0, 0-0 B1G), ranked No. 6 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, will visit Temple (0-2) on Friday, Aug. 31, for a 6 p.m. contest in Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions are coming off a thrilling 1-0 win over No. 7 Virginia in the season opener on Sunday, Aug. 26. Temple went winless in a two-game west coast road swing.
Penn State rode the strong defense of senior Cori Conley and Gini Bramley's goal to the win over Virginia. Conley anchored a strong Penn State defense and classmate Jenny Rizzo notched four saves as Penn State shutout the Cavaliers. The shutout was the ninth of Rizzo's career. Bramley scored the game's lone goal off an assist from Abby Myers.
Bramley's goal and Myers' assist were Penn State's only offense in the Virginia game but the NIttany Lions pressured the Cavalier defense throughout the game. Penn State's 17 shots included three each from Emily Klingler and Aurelia Meijer. Rizzo's shutout included four saves as the Penn State defense held Virginia to only nine shots.
Temple enters the game with an 0-2 mark after dropping a close 3-2 game at UC-Davis on Aug. 24 and then suffering a 3-0 shutout loss at Pacific on Aug. 26. The Owls featured a balanced offense in their two-game road swing, getting points from four different players. Sam Souder and Mia Sexton each notched goals with Nienke Oerlemans and Cristen Barnett adding assists. Goalie Chloe Johnson played every minute for Temple, notching 17 saves with a 3.00 goals against average.
Penn State owns a solid 35-7-2 lead in the all-time series, including last year's win in University Park. The Nittany Lions posted a 5-0 shutout victory on Sept. 1, 2017, at the Field Hockey Complex.
The Nittany Lions host two home games next week, welcoming No. 10 Princeton on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m. and Kent State on Friday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. The three-game week will conclude back at Temple where Penn State will face No. 3 Duke at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 9, in a neutral site battle.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.
For gameday parking information, please check out the color graphic within the pdf posted online in every set of weekly game notes at GoPSU.com.
NOTES
CONLEY, BRAMLEY SPARK LIONS TO 1-0 WIN OVER #7 VIRGINIA
Seniors Cori Conley and Gini Bramley sparked Penn State to an impressive 1-0 win over No. 7 Virginia in the season opener for both teams on 8/26. Conley anchored a strong Penn State defense and classmate Jenny Rizzo notched four saves as Penn State shutout the Cavaliers. The shutout was the ninth of Rizzo's career. Bramley scored the game's lone goal off an assist from Abby Myers as Penn State outshot Virginia 17-9.
CONLEY B1G PLAYER OF THE WEEK (8/27)
Senior Cori Conley as named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Aug. 26, 2018. Conley anchored a smothering Penn State defense that held a high-powered Virginia offense scoreless and to only nine total shots. Conley's prowess in the middle of Penn State's defense kept the Cavaliers from pressing the Lion cage and lead Penn State to a 1-0 shutout win in the season opener over No. 7 Virginia. Conley played nearly the entire game for a Penn State defense that kept the Cavs scoreless in a national field hockey showdown to start the 2018 season. The victory has Penn State off to a 1-0 start to begin the campaign
TRIO OF NITTANY LIONS ON BIG TEN PRESEASON 'PLAYERS TO WATCH' LIST
A trio of Penn Staters are on the 2018 Big Ten Preseason 'Players to Watch' list. Seniors Gini Bramley, Colleen Conway and Jenny Rizzo are all included on the conference-compiled list to open the campaign. All three were named to the 2018 U.S. Developmental Team this summer and are coming off outstanding 2017 seasons for the Nittany Lions. Rizzo was a first team All-Region and second team All-Big Ten selection while Bramley and Conley were second team All-Region selections.
PENN STATE RANKED NO. 6 IN NFHCA POLL
Penn State will open up the season ranked No. 6 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Preseason Rankings. The Nittany Lions are one of six Big Ten teams peppered throughout the rankings, which includes Maryland at No. 4, Michigan at No. 5, No. 6 Penn State, No. 12 Northwestern, Iowa at No. 20 and No. 24 Ohio State. Connecticut begins the season ranked No. 1.
BTN AND LIONVISION HAVE HOME SLATE COVERED
Penn State's nine home games will be available for fans all over the world to see. Eight of Penn State's nine home contests (Virginia, Princeton, Kent State, Michigan, Michigan State, James Madison, Indiana and Bucknell) will be streamed live for free via Lionvision at GoPSUsports.com. Penn State's Oct. 7 battle with Maryland will air live on the Big Ten Network.
TEAMMATES VOTE RIZZO AND DEMBROWSKI TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Jenny Rizzo and Katie Dembrowski will serve as team captains for the 2018 season. The duo earned the honors in a vote by their teammates during preseason practices.
