April 15, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Penn State women's lacrosse team (7-5, 0-3 ALC) will play its final road game of the 2010 regular season on Sunday when it takes on ALC rival No. 19 Ohio State (8-4, 1-2 ALC) in a 1 p.m. match-up at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the contest on a tape delay basis, with the re-air scheduled for later in the day at 5 p.m.
The Nittany Lions posted a 1-1 record last week, defeating Lehigh, 14-13, on the road on Wednesday before falling to No. 1 Northwestern, 13-6, at home on Sunday. Senior midfielder Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio) had a productive week, scoring four, including the game winner, versus the Mountain Hawks and then netted three more in the loss to the Wildcats. She currently leads the team in goals with 22 and ranks third with 26 points. Junior attacker Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.), the team leader in points with 30, was also active, totaling four goals and three assists in the two games.
Ohio State is coming off a 20-5 road thrashing of Cincinnati on Wednesday, highlighted by a record-setting 10 first half points from senior attacker Brittany Zerhusen. Kelly Haggerty (29g, 30a), Alayna Markwordt (33g, 19a), along with Zerhusen (35g, 13a), primarily power a potent Buckeye attack, which averages just under 15 goals per game. Goalkeeper Annie Carruthers, the anchor of the OSU defense, leads the ALC in save percentage (.543) but is last in the conference with an 11.05 goals against average.
The Nittany Lions have taken three consecutive games from the Buckeyes, helping them build a 12-4 all-time series record. Last season, Penn State beat Ohio State twice in University Park, earning a 13-9 win during the regular season and an 11-7 triumph in the ALC Championship.
Penn State fans can follow all of the action as the Nittany Lions battle the Buckeyes with live stats and instant scoring updates. Find a link on the official website of Penn State athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com
Penn State will wrap up ALC action next weekend when it welcomes Johns Hopkins (8-5, 1-1 ALC) to Jeffrey Field for a 1 p.m. game on Sun., April 25. The Nittany Lions are 6-2 in their all-time series with the Blue Jays, including last season's 12-11 victory in Baltimore, highlighted by four goals from Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.), three scores by Theresa Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.), and three assists by Marisa Lozano (Pittsburgh, Pa.).