UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Lacrosse team is set to host No. 16 Stony Brook on Tuesday for its final non-conference matchup of the regular season. First draw is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Panzer Stadium with a live stream on BTN Plus.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are 7-7 overall and 2-3 in conference play after a hard-fought 16-15 win at No. 21 Johns Hopkins on Thursday. Penn State is receiving votes in both the IWLCA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
Stony Brook, coached by Joe Spallina, is 11-4 overall and 6-0 in the America East. The Seawolves picked up a 20-4 win over Binghamton last Friday.
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
TICKETS
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.
Tickets are now also available through presale, for all April home games, through Penn State Account Manager, 1-800-NITTANY or visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office in person Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
All presale ticketing will utilize mobile ticketing for entry. For help with mobile ticketing, fans are encouraged to go here.
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This marks just the second meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Seawolves.
In last year's matchup, Penn State fell 21-13 at Stony Brook, who was ranked No. 1 in the country. Maggie Gallagher and Shelby Wells led PSU with three goals each. Maria Auth, Madison Carter and Kristin Roberto each collected two goals and an assist.
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
No. 16 Stony Brook, coached by Joe Spallina, is 11-4 overall and 6-0 in America East play. The Seawolves own wins over No. 13 Colorado, No. 17 Johns Hopkins and No. 14 USC.
Last Friday, Stony Brook earned a 20-4 win over Binghamton. Taryn Ohlmiller led the squad with seven points, including four goals, while Ally Kennedy had five goals and an assist. Kasey Mitchell contributed three goals and two dimes.
Kennedy leads the Seawolves in multiple categories, including goals (58), points (68), ground balls (36) and draw controls (81). She ranks 10th in the nation in goals, seventh in goals per game (3.87) and first in shots on goal per game (6.8). Ohlmiller has 22 goals and 22 assists, while Siobhan Rafferty owns 39 goals and four assists. Anna Tesoriero averages 6.27 saves per game.
NITS EARN B1G WIN IN BALTIMORE
With the Big Ten Tournament approaching, the Nittany Lions picked up a huge win on Thursday at No. 21 Johns Hopkins. The Nittany Lions held off a second-half rally to earn a 16-15 victory to improve to 2-3 in Big Ten play.
With the win, Penn State and Johns Hopkins are tied for the fourth, and final seed, in the Big Ten Tournament. However, PSU now owns the tiebreaker and can clinch the fourth spot with a win over Rutgers on Saturday.
THREE HAT-TRICKS
A big key to Penn State's win over Johns Hopkins was the play of three players on the offensive end.
Junior Maria Auth led the Nittany Lions with five goals, including three in the second half. She scored a go-ahead free-position goal with 3:34 remaining in the game.
Sophomores Quinn Nicolai and Sophia Triandafils each recorded three goals. Triandafils notched her first hat-trick of the season.
Senior Kayla Brisolari also provided a boost on offense with two goals and an assist, including a tally with 1:51 left to seal the win.
MARIA'S MONSTER MONTH
Auth has provided a major impact on the PSU offense with 16 goals and five assists over the last four games, all in April. Auth leads PSU with 15 goals and 18 points in Big Ten play.
The junior began the month with a career-high nine points and six goals against Ohio State. She had two goals vs. Virginia and three goals and two assists at Duquesne before a five-goal day at Johns Hopkins.
For her efforts against OSU and Virginia, Auth was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on April 9.
STEPPING UP IN CONFERENCE PLAY
With one game remaining in their Big Ten schedule, a few Nittany Lions have stepped up in big ways.
Auth paces the Nittany Lions with 15 goals and 18 points. Nicolai has also collected 18 points, with 14 goals, while Brisolari has 10 goals and an assist. Brisolari also leads PSU with 13 ground balls, 17 draw controlls and 10 caused turnoers in Big Ten play.
Freshman Taylor Suplee has made 59 saves in five conference games, making 10 or more saves in four contests. She leads the conference in both saves and saves per game (11.8) in conference games.
SPREAD THE WEALTH
The Nittany Lions offense features a balanced attack. Six players have at least 21 points on the season.
Nicolai leads PSU with 35 points, including a team-best 27 goals. Auth has 25 goals and nine assists, while Brisolari has registered 26 goals and seven assists. Triandafils owns 16 goals and 15 assists. Delaney Muldoon has collected 23 points, including 17 goals, while Madison Carter has 21 points.
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 26 goals, seven assists, 34 ground balls, 57 draw controls and 24 caused turnovers this season, leading the Nittany Lions in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. She is third on the team in points. The senior leads the Big Ten with 1.71 caused turnovers per game. She has 11 games with two or more points and nine 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 eight 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, 11 at Johns Hopkins 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 (9.64) and third in total saves (135). She is also No. 4 in save percentage (.472).
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.
Sophomore Quinn Nicolai