THIS WEEK'S ACTION
#7 Penn State (8-3, 3-1 B1G) vs. #2 Maryland (12-0, 3-0 B1G)
DATE: Sunday, Oct. 7, 12 p.m.
SITE: Field Hockey Complex
Penn State Head Coach: Char Morett-Curtiss
Maryland Head Coach: Missy Meharg
All-Time Series: Penn State leads 21-15-1
Last Meeting: W, 3-2 on 11/3/17 in Big Ten Semifinals
THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW
The Penn State Nittany Lions (8-3, 3-1 B1G), ranked No. 7 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, will host No. 2 Maryland (2-0, 3-0 B1G) in a critical Big Ten contest Sunday afternoon. The game begins at 12 p.m. at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex and will air live nationally on the Big Ten Network.
Penn State is coming off a 2-0 weekend. The Lions won at No. 17 Rutgers 3-2 on Friday night, thanks in large part to a 2-0 lead at the break. Two days later, Penn State got goals from seven different players on its way to an 8-2 non-conference victory over James Madison in Happy Valley.
The Nittany Lions are being led by a very balanced offensive attack. Freshman Anna Simon has a team-best seven goals and one assist for 15 points while senior Aurelia Meijer has five goals and five assists for 15 points as well. Moira Putsch has 14 points off four goals and six assists while Emily Klingler has 13 off six and one. The Nittany Lion defense has been solid as well, allowing only 1.18 goals per game. Jenny Rizzo has a 1.45 goals against average and a superb .807 save percentage. Simon and senior Cori Conley anchor the backfield as well.
Maryland comes in unbeaten with a 12-0 mark, 3-0 in the Big Ten. The Terrapins are coming off a critical 4-2 road win at then second-ranked Connecticut on Sunday. Linnea Gonzales and Nike Lorenz both have 21 points to lead Maryland. Gonzales has ten goals and an assist while Lorenz has nine and three. Sabrina Rhodes and Madison Maguire each have 16 as well.
The Terrapins have allowed 1.50 goals per game with keeper Sarah Holliday sporting a .676 save percentage and a 1.71 goals against average. Noelle Frost has a .647 mark with a 2.14 GAA.
The Nittany Lions are 21-15-1 all-time against Maryland. Penn State snapped a six-game losing skid to the Terrapins in the last meeting, posting a 3-2 victory in the Big Ten Semifinals on 11/3/17.
Next week, Penn State hits the road for two Big Ten games. The Lions are at Iowa on Friday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. (Eastern) and at Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 14, at 1 p.m. (Eastern).
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 GoPSUsports.com.
NOTES
LIONS ROLL OVER JAMES MADISON
Penn State used a balanced scoring attack, with eight different players notching goals and the team scoring four goals in each half, to down visiting James Madison 8-2 on 9/30. Senior Aurelia Meijer had two goals while six teammates each had one.
PENN STATE GRABS B1G ROAD WIN OVER #17 RUTGERS
Penn State rode a 2-0 halftime lead to a hard-fought 3-2 road win at #17 Rutgers on 9/28. Anna Simon and Abby Myers each scored goals in the first half while Cassie Kline scored what would be the game-winner in the second. Lion keeper Jenny Rizzo had eight saves to keep Penn State on top.
PUTSCH TIES SCHOOL ASSIST RECORD, LEADS PENN STATE TO 8-0 WIN OVER MSU
Senior Moira Putsch tied a Penn State record with five assists in Penn State's 8-0 win over Michigan State on 9/23. Putsch had a part in seven of Penn State's eight goals, notching two goals to go along with her five assists for nine points.
SIMON, PUTSCH, KLINGLER ALL NOTCH TWO GOALS IN PENN STATE'S SHUTOUT WIN OVER MSU
Freshman Anna Simon scored two goals in Penn State's 8-0 shutout win over Michigan State on 9/23, scoring twice off perfect penalty corners, with assists from Moira Putsch and Madison Morano. Simon had two goals, Putsch had two, Emily Klingler had two goals and Alexis Horst and Gini Bramley each had one in the lopsided victory.
LAST MINUTE PENALTY STROKE HANDS MICHIGAN 1-0 WIN OVER LIONS IN TOP TEN BATTLE
Michigan was awarded a last minute penalty stroke, effectively handing the Wolverines a 1-0 Big Ten win featuring two top ten squads on 9/21. The late penalty call overshadowed an outstanding effort from Lion keeper Jenny Rizzo, who had six saves in shutting down Michigan the rest of the way.
HORST LEADS PENN STATE TO 4-0 WIN OVER #21 BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Sophomore Alexis Horst scored two goals in Penn State's dominant 4-0 win over #21 Boston University on 9/16, in a game played at the University of Maryland. Horst had two goals while teammates Moira Putsch and Anna Simon each added one. Keeper Jenny Rizzo and the Lion backfield, anchored by Simon, Cori Conley and Lauren McNally, notched the shutout. Rizzo had five saves.
TWO LATE GOALS LEAD LIONS TO B1G WIN AT #22 OHIO STATE
Penn State used two goals in the game's final ten minutes to post a 3-2 road win at No. 22 Ohio State on 9/4, grabbing a victory in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Alexis Horst scored off a Gini Bramley assist at the 9:52 mark to tie the game and Katie Dembrowski scored unassisted at the 3:44 mark to put the Nittany Lions up for good in Columbus.
#4 DUKE PULLS AWAY FROM PENN STATE LATE
The Penn State Nittany Lions fell victim to a second half rally against No. 4 Duke on 9/9 in a game played at Temple. Penn State got a first half goal from freshman Anna Simon and were tied at the halftime mark before Duke scored three unanswered goals to post the 4-1 win.
MEIJER SOARS IN 8-0 WIN OVER KENT STATE
Senior Aurelia Meijer soared to a career high six points in Penn State's 8-0 shutout victory over Kent State on 9/7 at the Field Hockey Complex. Meijer had two early assists and then notched two unassisted goals in the second half to blow the game open and lead Penn State to the victory. Penn State out shot KSU 27-9 and Jenny Rizzo and Colleen Conway combined for four saves to post Penn State's third shutout in the season's first four games.
LIONS DROP 2-1 2OT GAME TO #6 PRINCETON
Penn State and Princeton battled evenly for over 80 minutes on 9/4 before the Tigers inched out a 2-1 double-overtime victory in State College. Penn State got a goal from Emily Klingler in the second half to tie the game and rode nine Jenny Rizzo saves into extra time before Princeton got the game winner in the second OT.
SIMON LEADS LIONS TO 4-0 WIN AT TEMPLE; NAMED B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (9/3)
True freshman Anna Simon scored her first collegiate goals to lead Penn State to a 4-0 win at Temple on 8/31. Simon found the back of the cage twice off penalty corners (assists to Mary Nell Smith and Madison Morano on both) to spark Penn State. The Lions out shot Temple 42-1 in the victory. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the week ending Sept. 2 for her efforts.
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 out shot 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.
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.
