Oct. 28, 2015
| PENN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN | |
| Friday, Oct. 30 - 3 p.m. ET | |
| Lakeside Field | Evanston, Ill. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
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Game Notes: Penn State | NorthwesternStatistics: Penn State | Northwestern
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team will conclude it's 2015 regular season schedule Friday, visiting Big Ten opponent Northwestern for a 3 p.m. game at Lakeside Field.
2015 Big Ten Tournament
The 2015 Big Ten field hockey tournament will be Nov. 5-8 in Bloomington, Ind. The quarterfinals and semifinal will be played on Nov. 5-6, while the Big Ten Championship game will be played on Sunday Nov. 8.
Weekend Update
Aurelia Meijer scored all three goals, including the game-winner with no time remaining, to lift Penn State over Iowa, 3-2, Friday at the Field Hockey Complex. With the score tied 2-2, Meijer, a freshman from the Netherlands, found the back of the cage on a corner attempt with no time on the clock to give Penn State the win in dramatic fashion. Meijer attempted eight shots on the day - six on goal - netting all three Nittany Lion goals to complete her first career hat trick.
Northwestern Series History
Penn State is 28-5-1 all-time against the Northwestern Wildcats dating back to 1992. Penn State defeated Northwestern 2-1 in their last meeting on Oct. 31, 2014 at Field Hockey Complex.
Scouting Northwestern
- The Wildcats are currently the No. 16 in the NFHCA top-20 poll and the No. 3 team in the Big Ten, sporting a record of 12-6 overall with a 4-3 record in conference play.
- Junior, Dominique Masters, has recorded two hat tricks this season; the lastest against Ohio University on Oct. 25.
- Northwestern is ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten for goals scored with 61, for an average of 3.39 per game.
- Goalie, Lindsay von der Luft, leads the Big Ten with five shutouts.
New Lions Stepping Up
With graduating seniors accounting for 50 of 57 goals scored last season, new Nittany Lions as well as players in increased roles are filling the void.
- Penn State's 31 goals this season have been scored by 10 different goal scorers. Of those 10 goal scorers, six have notched their first career goal this season, and transfer Stephanie Hussey has scored her first goals with Penn State.
- The six first-time goal scorers have accounted for 17 of the team's 25 goals.
- Four of the first-time goal scorers are freshmen: Aurelia Meijer (6), Katie Dembrowski (1), Gini Bramley (3), Mary Nell Smith (1) and Emily Klingler (1)
- Meijer has a team-high three assists and 16 points.
- Sophomore Shay Cannon has scored her first goals this season and is second on the team with four.
- Junior Brooke Birosik has also scored her first career goals this season, tied for the team lead in goal (6).
Close Contests
- Penn State has either been within a goal, tied or in the lead approaching the final six minutes in all but two contest this season (Michigan, L 1-3, 9/18; Princeton, L 0-2, 10/4)
- Seven of the losses have been by one goal, including three overtime losses.
- No. 16 Old Dominion broke a tie with 5:03 remaining to win the season-opener, 2-1, and No. 9 Virginia and California used late rallies to force overtime periods they would score first in.
- Penn State would take Ohio State to double-overtime before a fast-break goal secured the sudden victory for the Buckeyes.
- Penn State earned their first overtime win of the season against Rutgers, netting the game winning goal 45 seconds into the overtime period giving the Nittany Lions their second Big Ten win of the season.
Youth Movement
- Penn State's roster includes 10 freshmen, eight sophomores, five juniors, and two seniors.
- The squad returns just three starters from 2014 in
junior Carly Celkos, junior Emilee Ehret and sophomore Cori Conley.
- Of the 25 players on the roster, 15 had never played in a regular season game for the Lions before 2015.
- Of Penn State's 57 goals and 36 assists (150 points) tallied last season, just seven goals and seven assists (21 points) returned.
- At one point during the Oct. 4 game against Princeton, Penn State had six freshmen on the field at the same time.
Preseason Accolades
Senior Stephanie Hussey, junior Carly Celkos and sophomoroe Cori Conley were each named to the 2015 Big Ten Field Hockey Players to Watch List.
On the Turf and in the Classroom
The Penn State field hockey program had six athletes recognized by Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award. The list includes students from every institution and 38 different sports who have recorded a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year.
Katie Breneman, Carly Celkos, Amanda Dinunzio, Laura Gebhart, Kirsten Gochnauer, and Haley Kerstetter, all earned the accolade.
Challenging Schedule
Penn State has again put together a top-tier schedule, facing eight teams that were ranked in the 2015 NFHCA Preseason Poll, including conference-foes Maryland (3), Northwestern (10), Michigan (14), Iowa (17), and Michigan State (19). Along with the conference opponents, the squad also has matchups against Virginia (9), Princeton (15) and Old Dominion (16). Three teams (Princeton, Northwestern and Maryland) each made the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
Leaders of the Pack
Seniors Haley Kerstetter and Stephanie Hussey were named the captains for the 2015 season.
Penn State Field Hockey on Social Media
Penn State field hockey is on social media. Follow the program on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PennStateFieldHockey) and Twitter/Instagram @PennStateFH. For all of your Penn State news, visit www.GoPSUsports.com.