UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 21 Penn State Women's Lacrosse team visits Vanderbilt on Sunday in its final non-conference matchup before Big Ten play begins. First draw is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET with a live stream on YouTube.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are 4-2 this season and looks to get back on track after a 16-6 setback at No. 16 James Madison on Wednesday. Lauren Craft led five Nittany Lion goal-scorers with two goals.
Vanderbilt, coached by Beth Hewitt, is 4-3 after falling 20-13 against No. 13 Michigan on Wednesday.
Follow along with the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@PennStateWLAX).
SCOUTING THE COMMODORES
Vanderbilt, coached by Beth Hewitt, are 4-3 this season. The Commodores dropped a 20-13 decision against No. 13 Michigan on Wednesday. Vanderbilt owns wins this season over Wagner (14-11), Kennesaw State (21-11), Lehigh (13-12) and No. 10 Denver (14-13).
In the contest against Michigan, Brianne Gross led Vandy with seven goals. Elizabeth Scarrone contributed two goals and an assist, while Cassidy Orban recorded two goals. Gabby Fornia added a goal and two assists. Paige Gunning made eight saves in 45 minutes of action.
Vandy ranks 26th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 14.3 goals per game, and 80th in scoring defense, allowing 13.86 goals per contest. The Commodores are very good at controlling the ball, averaging only 12.6 turnovers per game, ranking 10th in the nation, and a .924 clear percentage, good for seventh in the country.
Gross ranks eighth in the country with 24 goals and 13th in the nation with 32 points. Fornia sits 12th in the country with 15 assists. She also has 10 goals. Emily Mathewson has tallied 12 goals. Gunning has a 14.12 goals-against average and a .385 save percentage.
JAMES MADISON RECAP
Penn State got on the board first, but the Dukes scored four straight goals to spark their 16-6 win.
The Nittany Lions' offense was led by Lauren Craft, who scored two goals, as one of five different PSU players who scored. Maria Auth, Olivia Dirks, Yasmain Hamood and Kristin Roberto each tallied one goal. Dirks scored on a free-position look. Quinn Nicolai, Sophia Triandafils and Sydney Wolfington each had one assist. Sophomore Taylor Suplee made 10 saves in goal.
James Madison was paced by three players who scored three goals. Kacey Knobloch, Taylor Marchetti and Maddie McDaniel each recorded three goals. McDaniel led the Dukes on the draw, winning seven draw controls. Molly Dougherty recorded 14 saves.
IN THE POLLS
Penn State is currently ranked in two national polls. The Nittany Lions are No. 21 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll.
MAKING AN IMPACT
The Nittany Lions have partnered with Team IMPACT, an organizing that pairs children with chronic or severe illnesses with college teams.
On February 26, Penn State introduced Abby Marinaro as its newest teammate. Marinaro is a 10-year-old from Lititz, Pa. with cystic fibrosis.
NATIONALLY TELEVISED NITS
The Nittany Lions will be shown on at least four national broadcasts this season. The first will be at Rutgers on Thursday, March 26 at 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Penn State's matchup against No. 13 Michigan on Thursday, April 2 will be broadcast on BTN at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions will be featured a third time on Big Ten Network when they take on No. 10 Maryland on Thursday, April 16 at 7 p.m. Penn State will also be on a national broadcast on Thursday, April 9 when they take on Ohio State at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. The Big Ten semifinals on Friday, May 1 and Championship game on Sunday, May 3 will also be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
AUTH'S AWESOME START
Senior attacker Maria Auth is off to a strong start in 2020, with a team-high 29 points including 19 goals and 10 assists. She had at least three goals and four points in each of the first five games this season and has at least six points in three games.
She ranks 20th in the country in points and second in the Big Ten with 4.8 points per game, good for 33rd in the nation. She's also third in the Big Ten in goals and sixth in assists.
Auth now has 22 career games with three or more goals. She has 123 goals and 53 assists through 61 career games. She reached the 150-point mark in the win over Towson.
SUPLEE LEADING STRONG DEFENSE
Penn State ranks eighth in the country and leads the Big Ten with a .542 save percentage.
Sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Suplee is a major part of the defensive success. She made a career-high 20 saves in the win over Cornell, including 16 in the first half. Her previous high was 18 against Maryland in the Big Ten Semifinals. It was PSU's first 20-save performance since 2007. She has one of only three 20-save performances in Division I this season. For her efforts against Cornell, Suplee earned her second Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award this season.
She leads the Big Ten in save percentage (.539), saves (76), saves per game (12.7) and groundballs per game (3.67). She is also fourth in goals-against average (12.13). Suplee sits ninth in the country in save percentage, fourth in total saves and second in saves per game. Suplee has 14 career double-digit save efforts and five this season.
BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK
The Nittany Lions have benefitted from a balanced scoring attack, including 14 different players with at least one goal this season. Penn State ranks third in the Big Ten averaging 13.7 goals per game. PSU's 64 goals through the first four games were its most since 2017 (70 goals).
Sophia Triandafils follows Auth's team lead with 12 goals. Quinn Nicolai has nine goals, while Lauren Craft has eight and Yasmain Hamood and Kristin Roberto each have seven. Auth leads the team with 10 assists.
CARTER EARNS EARLY SEASON HONORS
Senior attacker Madison Carter was selected to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on Wednesday. She was named a third-team Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse in January. Carter returns for her fifth year after suffering an injury early last season. She graduated in May with a degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services and is pursuing a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a two-time IWLCA All-American and a three-time All-Big Ten selection.
Through the first six games of the 2019 season, Carter tallied 17 goals, four assists, five groundballs, 24 draw controls and two caused turnovers. She had three multi-point games, including a career high-tying six goals against Cornell. She also had five goals and six draw controls at Princeton.
Carter enters the 2020 season sitting fifth all-time at Penn State with 197 goals. She is also seventh in program history with 218 career points. In 2019, Carter became the 15th Nittany Lion to reach the 200-point mark.
PENN STATE SELECTS TEAM CAPTAINS
The Nittany Lions selected four players as team captains for the 2020 season. Senior attacker Madison Carter, senior defender Hayley DeAgostine, junior attacker/midfielder Quinn Nicolai and junior midfielder Sophia Triandafils were tabbed to lead the squad.
DeAgostine, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, started all 17 games in 2019. She totaled 16 groundballs, two draw controls and nine caused turnovers. Nicolai made 15 starts on attack last season, leading the team with 34 goals. She ranked second on the team with 42 points. She placed seventh in the Big Ten with 4.0 shots on goal per game. Triandafils started 14 games at midfield, recording a team-high 17 assists to go with 24 goals and 16 draw controls.
The captains will lead the 24 returners and 11 newcomers that make up the 2020 squad.
NEW FACES ON COACHING STAFF
The Nittany Lions welcomed assistant coaches Corrine Drost and Michael Molster to the staff.
Drost served as the offensive coordinator at William & Mary in 2019. Molster spent seven seasons at Towson, coaching the defense and goalies. He is also a defensive assistant for the England Senior National Team.
SECOND YEAR IN PANZER
The Nittany Lions will open up their second season in Panzer Stadium on Saturday. Penn State earned five home wins in 2019, including four in Panzer Stadium.
The state-of-the-art venue was dedicated on September 23, 2018. The stadium project was made possible through the efforts of Ken Panzer, a 1982 graduate and former co-captain of the men's lacrosse team, and his long-time business partner at Douglas Emmett, Jordan Kaplan. In May 2017, the duo committed a $3.55 million gift to transform the Penn State Lacrosse Field into one of the premier lacrosse stadiums in the country. Additional gifts by Penn State lacrosse alumni and donors totaled $2 million, bringing the total donations to $5.6 million.
Freshman Meghan Murray