UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 10 Penn State Women's Lacrosse team makes the trip to Cornell on Saturday for a non-conference matchup. The Nittany Lions and the Big Red will battle at 1 p.m. at Schoellkopf Field on ESPN+.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are coming off a 15-5 win over Lehigh on Saturday. Penn State is 2-0 and moved up to No. 10 in this week's Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Poll.
Cornell, coached by Jenny Graap, fell 13-12 in its season opener at Villanova last Saturday.
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This marks the 14th meeting in the series, with the Nittany Lions holding a 10-3 record.
The Nittany Lions earned a 16-11 win over the Big Red last year in Happy Valley. Cornell came within a goal, 12-11, with 10:48 left in the game, but PSU scored four straight goals to close out the win. Katie O'Donnell led PSU with seven points, including six goals, while Maria Auth and Madison Carter each had three goals.
SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Cornell, coached by Jenny Graap, dropped its season opener, 13-12, at Villanova last Saturday. The Big Red outscored the Wildcats, 6-5, in the second half. Cornell scored with 1:44 left in the game to come within one goal, but could not complete the comeback.
Attacker Caroline Allen led Cornell with eight points, including five goals and three assists. Attacker Sarah Phillips had two goals and two assists, while midfielder Genevieve DeWinter scored twice. Goalie Hailey Andress made one save and Katie McGahan had three.
Cornell was 7-8 last season, including 2-5 in Ivy League play.
FIRST WIN IN PANZER
The Nittany Lions earned a 15-5 win over Lehigh in the first ever regular season game at Panzer Stadium last Saturday. The state-of-the-art venue was dedicated on September 23, 2018. The facility features a new videoboard, permanent concessions, accessible bathrooms and a ticket office.
The first goal in Panzer Stadium history was scored by Kristin Roberto with 26:50 left in the first half.
SECOND HALF SURGE
The Nittany Lions have dominated the second half in each of their two wins, averaging 9.5 goals.
This past Saturday, PSU scored the first seven goals of the second half, including two goals each from Lauren Craft and Delaney Muldoon. PSU outscored Lehigh, 9-2 in the half.
In the season opener, PSU scored 10 goals in the second half against Towson, starting the period on a 6-1 run.
STRONG DEFENSE
Penn State currently ranks ninth in the nation, and second in the Big Ten, allowing just six goals per game.
Freshman goalie Taylor Suplee is also ninth nationally and second in the conference with a 6.00 goals against average. The Nittany Lions have caused 15 turnovers per game, ranking 13th in the country, led by Reilly Masterson's 3.5 caused turnovers per game, good for ninth in the nation. Senior Kayla Brisolari leads the Big Ten with 4.50 groundballs per game.
LUCK OF THE DRAW
A big key to the efforts in both games was in the draw circle. Penn State won 14 of 21 draws against Lehigh, led by Kayla Brisolari's six draws and Madison Carter's five.
Brisolari helped PSU score three goals in a 39-second span in the first half by winning two draw controls. Helped with another score-draw-score sequence later in the half. PSU won 9 of 10 second half draws in the win over Towson.
CARTER REACHES 200-POINT MARK
Senior Madison Carter assisted on a goal in the first half against Lehigh, giving her 203 career points, moving into a tie for 10th with Michele DeJuliius (1994-97).
On Carter's second goal of the Towson game with 12:46 left to go, the senior earned her 200th career point. Carter became the 15th Nittany Lion to reach the 200-point mark for her career. She now has 184 goals and 19 assists in her career.
IN THE POLLS
The Nittany Lions moved up to No. 10 in this week's IWLCA Poll, rising two spots. The blue and white remained No. 10 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll and No. 11 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll. PSU was selected third the Preseason Big Ten Poll behind Maryland and Northwestern.
NATIONAL AUDIENCE
Penn State will be featured on three Big Ten Network broadcasts and two ESPNU broadcasts this Spring.
The Nittany Lions' Big Ten home opener against No. 2 Maryland on March 21 will be shown on ESPNU. The blue and white will also face No. 17 Johns Hopkins in an ESPNU matchup on April 19.
The blue and white's matchup at No. 4 Northwestern, a 7 p.m. start, will be broadcast on Big Ten Network on March 28. PSU will also be on BTN on April 4 vs. Ohio State, a 7 p.m. matchup, and April 27 vs. Rutgers, an 11 a.m. game.
CARTER RECEIVES NATIONAL HONOR
Following her performance against Towson, Carter was named Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week. It was Carter's first career national player of the week honor. Carter earned her 19th career game with at least five points.
PRESEASON HONORS
Seniors Kayla Brisolari and Madison Carter were selected as Preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Carter was named First Team while Brisolari was selected third team.
Brisolari and Carter were both named Postseason IWLCA All-Americans in 2018, while Carter added an Inside Lacrosse All-American honor.
Junior Maria Auth, Brisolari and Carter were all named Players to Watch by the Big Ten in 2019.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
Penn State is set to face nine opponents ranked in the Preseason IWLCA Poll. The Nittany Lions will battle No. 2 Maryland, No. 4 James Madison, No. 5 Stony Brook, No. 7 Northwestern, No. 8 Princeton, No. 9 Loyola, No. 11 Towson, No. 16 Virginia and No. 23 Johns Hopkins.
Penn State will face six opponents who reached the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Seniors Kayla Brisolari and Kelly Daggett were selected as captains for the 2019 season. Brisolari begins her second season as a captain after serving in 2018.
Freshman goalie Taylor Suplee