May 21, 2016
By: Jeff Sattora, GoPSUsports.com Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The seniors on the Penn State women's lacrosse team have three NCAA quarterfinal appearances on their resumes in four years wearing the Blue and White in Happy Valley. They can now add a Final Four trip to that list. The Nittany Lions advanced to the round of four on Saturday afternoon, taking down the 7th seeded Penn Quakers, 8-4, to move on.
The win secures the program's first trip to the Final Four since 1999.
"I can't even talk right now," said Penn State head coach Missy Doherty as she sat down to the podium postgame. "It was awesome. It's an awesome win for our program and just an awesome day in general."
"We've been kind of knocking at the door the past couple years and every year's been a little bit different," she added on the program and seniors getting over the hump. "We've been really fortunate in this tournament so far with some big wins and good learning experiences to go into such a tough Final Four next week."
Awesome was one way to describe Penn State's performance on this rainy afternoon. Even with Penn jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first eight minutes of play, Penn State battled.
"You could see the nerves coming out because of the immense stress this kind of game provides," Doherty said. "But I was so proud of them to come through strong and make huge plays when it mattered."
Freshman Kelly Daggett got the ball rolling with big plays for Penn State, as her goal down the right side put Penn State on the board 11 minutes into the game, and the Nittany Lions never looked back.
Once Daggett found the net it was time for the senior class to shine. Seniors Madison Cyr and Jenna Mosketti scored back-to-back goals to give Penn State a 3-2 lead they would not give up.
The Nittany Lions continued that strong play into halftime, taking a 6-2 lead into the break. While Penn opened the second half with a goal of their own to cut it to 6-3, that was the closest they would get the rest of the day.
"We've shown a commitment all year to the play that we're in," Doherty said on the team being able to respond. "We know we have great scorers and we know we were playing well defensively."
Cyr was one of those great scorers on Saturday, as her first goal wasn't her only strong play on the afternoon. She led the attack with two goals and two assists in the win.
"I'm just thinking move as fast as you can and get around them," Cyr said on her offensive mindset.
"She does a great job just seeing the cage," Doherty added on Cyr's efforts. "She's not worried about this person or that person. Her head is up seeing the cage and she came up with some awesome plays today."
While the offense gave Penn State the lead, it was the Nittany Lions' defense that helped secure in win. The Blue and White held Penn's top three point scorers, including the nation's leader in assists, Nina Corcoran, to a combined zero points on the day.
"Momentum-wise today we just got it from our defense," Doherty said. "Emi (senior goalie Emi Smith), made some crazy saves this game and our mark-up defenders did a great job on their key players."
Following Penn's two early goals in the game's first eight minutes, the Quakers would not find the back of the net again for 27:32 of game action.
"The defense did a great job forcing them in a certain direction where I could make an easier save than just a one-on-one. They work so hard down the field and on just want to back them up," said Smith, who finished the day with eight saves in the win.
The strong play led to a great win, and that great win is a big step for women's lacrosse at Penn State.
"It's a huge step for our program. I love Penn State, I love our players," said Doherty. "They work so hard and to see them experience something that they'll never forget, that's why you love to coach."
The seniors are not ready for this ride to end.
"The timing is perfect, happening our senior year we just want to stay here as long as we can," said Cyr. "We're just happy to make the Final Four."
"Being back on this field one last time, it was kind of like just give it your all, one last time," added Smith. "It was an all or nothing type of feeling for our seniors and I definitely think that showed on the field."
Doherty, the seniors, and the rest of the Nittany Lions will look to make a few more special memories next weekend in the Final Four in Philadelphia. Penn State will take on the third-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels Friday night with a trip to the title game on the line.