UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 15 Penn State women's lacrosse will face No. 19 James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday, May 10 at 3 p.m. in College Park, Md.
Game Info
Who: (15) Penn State vs. (19) James Madison
What: NCAA Tournament
Where: College Park, Md. – Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex
When: Friday, May 10 at 3 p.m. EST
Live Stream | Live Stats
Nittany Lions vs. Dukes
The Nittany Lions and the Dukes will match up for the 37th time all-time series. Penn State leads the series 22-14 and won the most recent match up in 2022 where the Nittany Lions defeated the Dukes, 14-10.
This will be the third meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament, but the first on a neutral field. Penn State is 2-0 against JMU in the tournament, with wins coming in 1995 and 2007, both earned in University Park, Pa.
Scouting the Dukes
JMU is 13-7 overall and 5-1 in the ACC. The Dukes are coming off a 21-11 loss against then-No. 9 Florida in the ACC Championship. The Gators were the No. 1 seed and the Dukes were the No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Leading the offense for the Dukes are senior attackers Katelyn Morgan and Isabella Peterson. Peterson leads the teams with 68 goals and 78 points. Morgan leads the Dukes in assists with 32.
On the defensive end, freshman Ava Bleckley leads the Dukes with 34 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers.
Last Time Out
The No. 2 seeded lost to No. 1 seeded Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship, 14-12. Gretchen Gilmore and Kara Nealon led the offensive charge for the Nittany Lions each collecting six points against the Wildcats. Gilmore scored five goals and notched one assist while Nealon registered six assists.
Kristin O'Neill, Sammy Dupcak, Ellie Hollin, Kayla Abernathy and Gilmore were all named to the All-Tournament team for their performances. The five student-athletes were also recently named USA Lacrosse DI All-Americans.
Penn State in the NCAA Tournament History
Friday's match up will be Penn State's 27th tournament appearance in program history. The Nittany Lions have won the National Championship five times in the program's history (1978, 1979, 1980, 1987, 1989). The last time the Nittany Lions advance to the second round of the tournament was in 2017 when they earned a first-round bye to move on to the final four.
On the Lookout
>> Kristin O'Neill is one point away from 200 in her career.
Up Next
The winner of Friday's game will face the winner of the Robert Morris vs. Maryland game which will be played earlier Friday afternoon. The second round will be played Sunday, May 12.
