UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 23 Penn State Women's Lacrosse team is set to play in the first ever nationally televised game in Panzer Stadium history on Thursday when it takes on No. 2 Maryland at 5 p.m. on ESPNU. Jay Alter, play-by-play, and Sheehan Stanwick Burch, color analyst, will be on the call.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, is 4-4 overall after a 12-9 setback in its Big Ten opener at No. 12 Michigan last Saturday. Penn State is ranked No. 23 in the IWLCA Poll.
Maryland, led by Cathy Reese, is off to an 8-0 start and defeated Ohio State, 16-1, in its Big Ten season debut. The Terrapins are ranked No. 2 in the IWLCA rankings.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 12 and under), available for purchase at the Panzer Stadium ticket window. Students get in free by showing their Penn State ID.
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
NATIONAL AUDIENCE
This weekend, Penn State will play the first nationally televised game in Panzer Stadium history. The stadium opened this year with full broadcast capabilities.
Thursday will be the first of two ESPNU broadcasts PSU will be featured on this Spring. The blue and white will also face No. 18 Johns Hopkins in an ESPNU matchup on April 19.
Penn State will also be featured on three Big Ten Network broadcasts. The blue and white's matchup at No. 5 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.
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
The Nittany Lions host Maryland for its first Big Ten game in Panzer Stadium history. Penn State trails 41-14-1 in the all-time series and seeks its first win over Maryland since 2005. In the 2018 Big Ten Semifinals, PSU fell 21-12. Madison Carter led PSU with four goals, while Maria Auth added two.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
Maryland, led by Head Coach Cathy Reese, is off to an 8-0 start, including four wins over ranked opponents. The Terrapins own wins over No. 4 Florida (17-12), No. 3 North Carolina (13-12 OT), No. 4 Syracuse (12-11 OT) and No. 8 Penn (14-9).
Last weekend, Maryland earned a 16-1 win over Ohio State. Kali Hartshorn led the way with six points (five goals). Jen Giles added two goals and two assists, while Megan Taylor made eight saves.
The Terrapins rank 12th in the nation in scoring offense (15.38 goals per game) and fifth in scoring defense (7.50 gpg). They lead the nation in save percentage (.600) and clear percentage (.940). Taylor leads the nation with a .583 save percentage and sits fifth with an 8.14 goals against average.
NICOLAI'S CAREER DAY
Nittany Lion sophomore Quinn Nicolai reached multiple career highs at No. 12 Michigan. Nicolai recorded a career-best seven points, including a career-high five goals. She also matched a career-best with two assists. The New Jersey native also set a career-high with two draw controls.
SECOND HALF SURGE
PSU is currently averaging 6.9 goals in the second half. Penn State outscored Michigan, 7-5, in the second half on Saturday, including a 5-1 run to start the period.
The Nittany Lions found the net eight times in the second half against Albany, including a 4-0 run to start the period. The Nittany Lions scored seven times in the second half against Princeton, led by Carter's five goals. Against Lehigh, 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.
SUPLEE COLLECTS BIG TEN HONOR
Nittany Lion goalie Taylor Suplee was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week last Tuesday. In two games, Suplee totaled 19 saves and a .487 save percentage. She also had a team-high eight ground balls.
She matched a then-career high with 11 saves against James Madison and added eight stops in the win over Albany.
Suplee followed that performance with a career-high 14 saves, including 10 in the first half, at Michigan.
CARTER SELECTED FOR TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Carter was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on February 28. It marks her third straight season on the watch list. The two-time All-American leads PSU with 17 goals and 21 points this year.
She currently ranks ninth in the nation among career active leaders in points and third in goals (197).
The senior is third among active DI players with 334 career draw controls. Carter has 218 career points and sits in sole possession of seventh all-time at Penn State.
On Carter's second goal of the Towson game, with 12:46 left to go, the senior earned her 200th career point, becoming the 15th Nittany Lion to reach the 200-point mark for her career.
She was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on February 27 and was the Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week on February 13.
IN THE POLLS
The Nittany Lions dropped to No. 23 in this week's IWLCA Poll. The blue and white is receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Poll. PSU was selected third the Preseason Big Ten Poll behind Maryland and Northwestern.
FIRST WIN IN PANZER
The Nittany Lions earned a 15-5 win over Lehigh in the first ever regular season game at Panzer Stadium on February 16. 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.
Senior Kayla Brisolari