| 16 | 0 |
| Walton Stadium | Moon Township, Pa. | |
| STATISTICS | ||||
| F | |||
| DUQ | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| PSU | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| SHOTS | 1 | 2 |
OT -->FDUQ65- -->11PSU1817- -->35
| SAVES | 1 | 2 |
OT -->FDUQ74- -->11PSU33- -->6
| GBs | 1 | 2 |
OT -->FDUQ43- -->7PSU85- -->13
| DRAWS | 1 | 2 |
OT -->FDUQ34- -->7PSU55- -->10
Feb. 24, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.. -- The ninth-ranked Nittany Lion women's lacrosse team posted its first shutout since April 15, 1989 in a 16-0 drubbing of Duquesne Tuesday evening at Joe Walton Stadium. Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) led the scoring barrage with seven points on four goals and three assists, goalie Emi Smith (Denver, Colo.) had six saves in the blanking.
"It was an incredible overall effort from every position," head coach Missy Doherty said. "They worked extremely hard for 60 minutes and it was really fun to watch them play today."
Penn State (3-0) earned its third straight win to start the season with effective scoring and superb defense. The last Nittany Lion shutout came in a 20-0 victory over Lehigh in 1989.
The Nittany Lions controlled possession for the majority of the game, out-shooting Duquesne (1-1), 35-11, while forcing the Dukes in 19 turnovers including seven failed clears.
McCormick's goal scoring was joined by Madison Cyr's (Westminster, Md.) hat tricks. Penn State's leading scorer, Steph Lazo (Stevensville, Md.), added two of her own on the day as did Jess Loizeaux (Mullica Hill, N.J.).
Midfielder Ally Heavens (Garnet Valley, Pa.) and Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.) were effective scoring and passing, each registering multi-point games. Heavens had three points on a goal and two assists, while Lechner had a goal and an assist.
Defensively, Taylor Bleistein (Bayville, N.Y.) helped her netminder out by causing a pair of turnovers and picking up three ground balls. Natalie Schmitt (Malvern, Pa.) also guided the Penn State effort with two ground ball pickups and a caused turnover.
The rest of Penn State's goals came from Jenna Mosketti (Fallston, Md.), Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) and Katie O'Donnell (West Chester, Pa.).
The Nittany Lions opened a 4-0 lead in the game's opening 11 minutes through Mosketti, Coffey and two from McCormick.
Cyr scored her first of the season before Loizeaux was fed by McCormick's second assist of the game for a 6-0 lead with 8:53 remaining. McCormick completed her hat trick on a Lechner feed a minute later before Heavens capped the first half with a goal with 54 seconds left.
Lazo scored back-to-back goals to open the second half, including the opening salvo from McCormick. The 10-goal lead grew to 11 on O'Donnell's tally with 18:28 to go. McCormick's fourth and final goal of the year was scored with 12:32 remaining before Cyr's second of the game was tallied four minutes later.
Lechner, Cyr and Loizeaux finished off the Dukes for the final 16-0 score line and Penn State's first shutout in nearly 26 years.
The win moved Penn State to 3-0 all-time against the Dukes. Penn State has scored 16 goals in all three meetings with Duquesne.
The Nittany Lions dominated in every major category except saves, earning advantage in shots (35-11), draw controls (10-7), ground balls (13-7). The Nittany Lions were 12-for-13 on the clear, while Duquesne went 8-for-15.
The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for its first ranked foe of the season on Saturday against Virginia. Opening draw is set for 3 p.m.