UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's lacrosse will host No. 11 Princeton on Saturday, March 19 as a part of the program's alumni weekend festivities. First draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Panzer Stadium.
Before the contest, the program will honor the 2020 senior class sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association and at halftime will recognize PSU women's lacrosse alumni in attendance.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Saturday, March 19 | 1 p.m.
Live Stats | Watch | Tickets
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State trails 13-25 in the all-time series and has lost the last two matchups.
• The teams first played at University Park in 1982 with PSU winning 24-4. The Nittany Lions would win the first four games against the Tigers.
• Penn State fell 10-21 in their most recent meeting in 2019.
• Five of the last ten games have been decided by two goals or less.
ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
• Penn State is 5-2 with three straight wins against No. 21 James Madison, Saint Joseph's and Towson.
• PSU most recently defeated Towson 15-6 on the road. Three Nittany Lions scored a hat trick in senior Mary Muldoon, sophomore Gretchen Gilmore and freshman Brooke Hoss.
• At TU, freshman goalie Ashley Bowan notched a season-best ten saves.
• Sophomore Kristin O'Neill leads the Lions with 19 goals. She has six multi-goal games this year. She also has a team best 25 points.
• Muldoon has four hat trick games on the season.
• Six Nittany Lions have notched double digit goals this year.
• Junior Kara Nealon has a team best 18 assists this season.
• Sophomore Kayla Abernathy has won a team best 38 draw controls.
• With a team-best 15 ground balls is sophomore Sammy Dupcak.
PSU STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• PSU is fifth in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.43).
• PSU is 11th in the nation in clearing percentage (.919).
• Kara Nealon is eighth in the nation by averaging 2.57 assists per contest.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
• No. 11 Princeton holds a 5-0 record including wins over No. 10 Virginia, No. 20 Temple and No. 17 USC.
• Two seniors earned Ivy League Players of the Week weekly after leading the Tigers in wins at No. 17 USC and San Diego State: Offensive – Kyla Sears, Defensive – Marge Donovan.
• Sears leads the Tigers with 19 goals and seven assists for 26 points this season.
• Head coach Chris Sailer is in her last season with the Tigers as she announced her retirement in November. She has led Princeton for 36 seasons.
PRINCETON STATISTICAL RANKINGS
• Princeton is fourth in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.40).
• Princeton is 18th in the nation in draw controls per game (16.20).
• Princeton is 25th in the nation in clearing percentage (.898).
Additional Notes
• The Tigers and Lions have had one mutual opponent this season; both teams have beat Cornell, with PSU winning a convincing 20-11 while Princeton narrowly took their Ivy League foe 13-12.
• Sophomore Kristin O'Neill earned Big Ten Midfielder of the Week honors this week after combining for 10 points in wins over No. 21 James Madison and Saint Joseph's.
• On March 1, freshman Brooke Hoss earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
• Senior Mary Muldoon and junior Rachel Spilker were elected captains for the 2022 season.
• Grad transfer Taylor Regan and sophomores Sammy Dupcak and Kristin O'Neill were named Big Ten Players to Watch.
• 2021's Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Kristin O'Neill, was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
• Head Coach Missy Doherty is in her 12th season leading the Nittany Lions.
• Doherty notched her 200th career victory following the Lions' Feb. 23 win at Duquesne.
• Doherty spent three years as an assistant coach at Princeton from 2001-03, during the Tigers' run of three Ivy League Championships and back-to-back NCAA Championships in 2002 and 2003.
UP NEXT
• Penn State will start Big Ten play on the road at Ohio State on Saturday, March 26.
• Princeton travels to Baltimore for a mid-week contest with Loyola (Md.) on March 23.
