The No. 7 Penn State women's lacrosse team will look to improve to 3-1 in ALC play Sunday (April 14 )when it welcomes Ohio State to the Penn State Lacrosse Field for a key conference clash. Opening draw for the Senior Day matchup is set at 1:05 p.m., while the Big Ten Network will air the game on a tape delay at 6:30 p.m.
Before the game, the Nittany Lions will honor the contributions and achievements of their four seniors - attacker Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.), defender Katie Guy (Whitby, Ont.), goalkeeper Ayla Halus (Hershey, Pa.) and defender Colleen Shea (Baltimore, Md.). During the past four seasons, the group helped lead Penn State to a 40-26 record and an NCAA tournament berth in 2012.
Penn State (8-4, 2-1 ALC), which is in the midst of its season-high three-game homestand, will enter the weekend matchup following a 16-3 victory against Lehigh April 10. Seven Nittany Lions recorded multi-point games as the squad improved to 5-0 at home for the first time since 1991.
Against the Mountain Hawks, sophomore attacker Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) recorded a game-high four points (2g, 2a), while sophomore Kristin Brent (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and freshman midfielder Erika Spilker (Severna Park, Md.) tallied their first career goals.
An Eldersburg, Md., native, McCormick paces the Penn State contingent in goals (28), assists (22) and points (50) and was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List April 10. The Nittany Lions now boast two Watch List members (sophomore midfielder Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.)) for the award, which is annually presented to the top male and female U.S. college lacrosse player.
In addition to McCormick and Coffey, four Nittany Lions have recorded at least 20 points. Junior attacker Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) ranks second on the squad in goals (24), assists (14) and points (38) and is just one assist away from entering to the top 10 on the program's all-time list. Sophomore Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.), who leads the team with 31 draw controls, has added 19 goals and seven assists.
On the defensive end, Guy continues to pace the squad in ground balls (33) and caused turnovers (22) and joins Lechner and freshman midfielder Jenna Mosketti (Fallston, Md.) as the only players with double-digit ground ball, draw control and caused turnover totals.
Ohio State (6-6, 1-2 ALC), which has scored at least 11 goals in all six of its victories, will enter the game on a three-game winning streak after defeating Vanderbilt (19-4) and San Diego State (19-11) last week. Seven Buckeyes have recorded at least 10 goals, while Jackie Cifarelli, who has netted 15 markers, ranks 10th in the country with 31 assists. Katie Chase (32g, 4a) has compiled a team-high 53 draw controls, while Tayler Kuzma paces the team with 17 caused turnovers.
Penn State leads the all-time series against the Buckeyes by a 16-4 margin and has won the past seven meetings. Ohio State's last victory against the Nittany Lions came during the 2008 season.
Following Sunday afternoon's game, Penn State will conclude its three-game homestand against Lafayette Wednesday, April 17. The Nittany Lions will then play its final ALC game against Johns Hopkins April 21 before concluding the regular season against Princeton April 27.