UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.- Penn State women's lacrosse looks to remain undefeated when it hosts no. 8 Loyola on Saturday, March 4 at noon. The Nittany Lions stand as the lone Big Ten team unbeaten this season and are among the 13 NCAA Division I teams still undefeated.
A win on Saturday would be Penn State's best start to a season since 2017 and would be the largest number of home wins in a season since 2019.
The Nittany Lions sit first in the Big Ten for the second week in a row.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. no. 8 Loyola
- Date: Saturday, March 4, 2023 | Time: noon
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Panzer Stadium
- Live Stats | Watch: BTN+ ($) | Notes
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State won its fourth game of the season on Friday, Feb. 24 when it defeated Arizona State 8-4.
- Junior Kristin O'Neill scored her third hat trick in four games while also continuing an eight-game scoring streak, dating back to the 2022 season.
- Several Nittany Lions claimed career highs in the game. Sammy Dupcak earned a career best six ground balls, Kayla Abernathy claimed a personal high four caused turnovers and Haley Urgo notched a career high four ground balls and three caused turnovers.
- Ashley Bowan and her defense shut out the Sun Devlis' offense in the entire second half.
PENN STATE –LOYOLA SERIES
- The Nittany Lions and the Greyhounds have a long history dating back to 1986. Loyola leads the series 18-17, claiming the most recent contest in 2022 with a 18-9 win.
- The last Penn State win came in 2017, continuing its four-game win streak at the time in the series.
- The Nittany Lions are 9-8 in home games against Loyola.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
- Loyola is 3-0 on the season so far with two wins against ranked opponents, a 12-10 win over Johns Hopkins and a 15-7 win against Penn.
- The Greyhounds finished the 2022 season 20-2 overall, making it to the NCAA Quarterfinals where they lost to Boston College.
- Katie Detwiler, Jillian Wilson and Sydni Black earned ILWomen Preseason All-America honors at the start of the season.
- Detwiler, Wilson and Payton Rezanka were selected to The Tewaaraton Watch List.
- Black was named Patriot League Attacker of the Week this week after a career high seven points and five goals in a 16-5 win over Towson last week.
NITTANY LIONS TO WATCH
- O'Neill, Dupcak and Ellie Hollin were named Big Ten Players to Watch in the preseason.
- O'Neill was also named to The Tewaaraton Award Watch List and selected by Inside Lacrosse as a Top 100 Returning Player at the start of this season.
- Freshmen Erika Ho, Maggie Golder and Emma Kelly were placed on Inside Lacrosse's Power Top 100 Freshman List.
- Elise Smigiel joins Penn State as a sophomore transfer from Marquette.
2023 CAPTAINS
- Head coach Missy Doherty named seniors Rachel Spilker and Regan Nealon and junior Kristin O'Neill as captains for the 2023 season.
- This is Spilker's second season as a co-captain for the Nittany Lions.
STAFF ADDITIONS
- Doherty added two new faces to her coaching staff for the 2023 season. Shanna Brady will join as the team's defensive coordinator and Naomi Radio will serve as the volunteer assistant coach.
- A Maryland graduate, Brady joins Happy Valley after a two year stint at Towson as an assistant coach.
- Radio spent the 2022 season as the first-ever head women's lacrosse coach at Juniata college.
Parking and Ticket Information
- For this weekend's double header, fans are able to purchase a men's and women's lacrosse ticket for $10. Fans should ask for the deal at the ticket window when they arrive.
- Parking for all Penn State Athletics' non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
- For women's lacrosse games, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle and is cash only/can be purchased on the ParkMobile app. The East Deck is also available for most events for $1 per hour.
- Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.