UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Lacrosse team's contest at No. 21 Johns Hopkins has been moved to Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at Homewood Field. The game was originally scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. but was moved due to anticipated severe weather. The contest will be key in determining who will compete in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are 6-7 overall. Penn State returns to Big Ten play after a 17-6 win at Duquesne on Tuesday. PSU is 1-3 in Big Ten action.
Johns Hopkins, coached by Janine Tucker, is 10-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. The Blue Jays picked up a 12-7 win at Ohio State last Saturday.
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This marks the 21st meeting in the series between Penn State and Johns Hopkins and the third since the Blue Jays joined the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions are looking for their fifth straight win.
The Nittany Lions earned Missy Doherty's 100th career win with a 13-12 overtime victory last year. Katie O'Donnell fired the game-winning goal with 2:33 left in the extra period. Maria Auth led PSU with four goals, while O'Donnell had three and Madison Carter added two.
B1G IMPLICATIONS
With the Big Ten Tournament approaching, Thursday's matchup could be important to determining who earns the fourth spot in the four-team tournament.
With Maryland, Michigan and Northwestern currently holding the top three seeds, the winner of Thursday's matchup will have a strong path to the fourth seed. Penn State is currently 1-3 in conference play, while the Blue Jays are 2-2.
The Nittany Lions finish at home against Rutgers, while Johns Hopkins will face Maryland in its regular season finale.
DOMINATE THE STATE
After its win at Duquesne, Penn State has now won 35 straight regular season games against teams from the state of Pennsylvania, dating back to 2009. PSU defeated Lehigh, 15-5, earlier this season. The Nittany Lions are 109-22 all-time against current Division I teams in Pennsylvania.
SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS
No. 21 Johns Hopkins, coached by Janine Tucker, is 10-5 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play. Last Saturday, they earned a 12-7 win at Ohio State.
The Blue Jays are fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (13.5 goals per game) and third in scoring defense (10.5 gpg). JHU is also third in the conference in draw controls per game (13.5) and caused turnovers per game (10.3).
Maggie Schneidereith leads Hopkins and the Big Ten with 67 points, including 45 goals. She ranks second in the Big Ten in goals and third in assists. Miranda Ibello leads the conference with 25 assists. Shelby Harrison paces JHU with 66 draw controls and Haley Crosson averages eight assists per game.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
The Nittany Lions benefitted from a balanced attack against Duquesne with 10 different players finding the net. Auth led the Nittany Lions with three goals and two assists. Kristin Roberto matched Auth with her second career hat-trick. Kayla Brisolari, Kelly Daggett and Shannon Moore all scored twice, while five players scored at least one goal.
Against Virginia, five players recorded two or more goals. That followed a performance in which four Nittany Lions earned a hat-trick against Ohio State, led by Auth's six goals. Brisolari, Delaney Muldoon and Sophia Triandafils each tallied three goals.
On the season, six Nittany Lions have at least 20 points, led by Nicolai's 32 (24 goals). Brisolari owns 30 points (24 goals) and Auth has 29 points (20 goals). Triandafils sits at 28 points (13 goals), Muldoon has 23 and Madison Carter has 21.
STEPPING UP IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Halfway through their Big Ten schedule, a few Nittany Lions have stepped up in big ways.
Nicolai has emerged as a key leader of the offense, leading the unit with 11 goals and four assists. Auth owns 10 goals and three assists. Brisolari has made plays on both ends of the field. She has eight goals to go with 10 ground balls, 10 draw controls and eight caused turnovers, leading the team in all four stats in conference play.
Freshman Taylor Suplee has made 48 saves in four conference games, making 10 more saves in three contests.
SCORING EARLY AND OFTEN
In its last Big Ten game, Penn State set the tone in its 21-5 win over Ohio State, jumping out to leads of 4-0 and 6-1. PSU led 14-2 at halftime, ending the half on an 8-0 run.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of mistakes by the Buckeyes. PSU scored five times on free-position looks and three times on man-up opportunities. The game ended with Penn State owning a 43-21 advantage in shots with 36 of those resulting in shots on goal.
Penn State had a similar experience against Duquesne, using a 13-0 first half run to hold a 14-2 advantage at halftime.
MARIA'S MONSTER DAY
Junior Maria Auth enjoyed a monster performance against the Buckeyes, setting a career-high with nine points and matching a career-best with six goals. Four of Auth's six goals came in the first half, including two on free-position shots. She assisted on the Nittany Lions' first three goals of the game, setting a season-high.
For her efforts against OSU and Virginia, Auth was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
BRISOLARI ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Kayla Brisolari was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on March 21. She joined teammate Madison Carter on the watch list.
The do-it-all senior has collected 24 goals, six assists, 31 ground balls, 50 draw controls and 22 caused turnovers this season, leading the Nittany Lions in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. She is second on the team in points. The senior leads the Big Ten with 1.69 caused turnovers per game. She has 10 games with two or more points and eight games with two or more goals.
Last year, Brisolari was a third-team All-America selection by the IWLCA. Carter was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on February 28. It marked her third straight season on the watch list.
STEADY PRESENCE IN GOAL
Freshman goalie Taylor Suplee has emerged as a consistent force at the back of the Penn State defense.
She has posted seven double-digit save totals this year, including a career-high 16 stops against Maryland. Eleven of her 16 saves came in the first half. The Maryland native collected 14 saves, including 10 in the first half, at Michigan and 12 saves against Virginia. She also made 11 stops at Cornell and 10 at Northwestern.
Suplee was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 12 after making 11 saves against James Madison and eight against Albany.
The rookie sits No. 2 in the Big Ten in saves per game (9.54) and third in total saves (124). She is also No. 4 in save percentage (.477).
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.
