UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 8 Penn State Women's Lacrosse team is back on the road this weekend as it visits No. 13 Loyola on Saturday. The Nittany Lions and the Greyhounds are set for a noon matchup at the Ridley Athletic Complex. The contest will be streamed on the Patriot League Network.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, looks to bounce back after a 21-10 setback at No. 14 Princeton on Wednesday. PSU is 3-1 and ranked No. 8 in the IWLCA Poll.
Loyola, coached by Jen Adams, is 1-2 after it fell 15-11 at No. 4 Syracuse on Wednesday. The Greyhounds earned a 15-12 win over No. 11 Florida last Saturday.
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This marks the 33rd matchup in the series with the Nittany Lions leading 17-15.
The Nittany Lions dropped a 16-15 decision in overtime last season against Loyola. The Greyhounds scored to tie the game with 28 seconds left to force overtime and then found the net with 50 seconds remaining in the extra period. Madison Carter scored five goals for PSU, while Maria Auth added four.
SCOUTING THE GREYHOUNDS
No. 13 Loyola, coached by Jen Adams, fell 15-11 at No. 4 Syracuse on Wednesday. The Greyhounds outscored the Orange, 7-3, in the second half, but Syracuse started the game on a 10-1 run.
Attacker Livy Rosenzweig led Loyola with eight points, including four goals, on Wednesday. Midfielder Sam Fiedler collected three goals and two assists, while Hannah Powers contributed three goals and an assist. Goalie Kady Glynn made nine saves in nearly 50 minutes of action.
Loyola earned a 15-12 win over No. 11 Florida last Saturday.
CARTER MOVES UP POINTS LIST
Senior Madison Carter had five goals and an assist, all coming in the second half, against Princeton. It was her 21st career game with five or more points.
Carter now has 216 career points, matching Laurie Gray (1981-84) for seventh all-time at PSU. Carter is 11 points behind former teammate Katie O'Donnell (2015-18) for sixth place.
Carter currently ranks ninth in the nation among career active leaders in points and third in goals (196).
She tallied a season-high seven points on Saturday at Cornell, including a career high-tying six goals.
On Carter's second goal of the Towson game with 12:46 left to go, the senior earned her 200th career point, becoming the 15th Nittany Lion to reach the 200-point mark for her career.
CARTER SELECTED FOR TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Carter was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on Thursday. It marks her third straight season on the watch list. The two-time All-American leads PSU with 15 goals and 19 points this year.
The senior was selected Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for her performance at Cornell. Carter led PSU with seven points, including six goals, marking the sixth time in her career scoring six goals. She also tied a season-high with five draw controls.
Carter leads the Big Ten, and ranks 15th in the nation, with 3.75 goals per game. She is also fourth in the Big Ten and 19th in the country with 15 goals. She's 17th in the country averaging 7.75 shots per game.
SHOOT TO SCORE
One of the keys to PSU's offensive attack this year is a high volume of shots. PSU ranks third in the Big Ten and 18th nationally averaging 34.0 shots per game.
The Nittany Lions also sit 19th in the nation, and third in the conference, averaging 26.25 shots on goal per game. PSU is 37th in the nation with 13.0 goals per game and 24th with 20.0 points per game. PSU is 17th in the country, second in the Big Ten, in assists per game (7.0).
SECOND HALF SURGE
PSU is currently averaging 8.0 goals in the second half. The Nittany Lions scored seven times in the second half against Princeton, led by Carter's five goals.
PSU started Saturday's second half at Cornell with four unanswered goals to take a 12-6 lead early in the half. Against Lehigh, PSU scored the first seven goals of the second half, including two goals each from Lauren Craft and Delaney Muldoon. PSU outscored Lehigh, 9-2 in the half. In the season opener, PSU scored 10 goals in the second half against Towson, starting the period on a 6-1 run.
IN THE POLLS
The Nittany Lions moved up to No. 8 in this week's IWLCA Poll, rising two spots. The blue and white is No. 11 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll and No. 14 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll. PSU was selected third the Preseason Big Ten Poll behind Maryland and Northwestern.
FIRST WIN IN PANZER
The Nittany Lions earned a 15-5 win over Lehigh in the first ever regular season game at Panzer Stadium on February 16. The state-of-the-art venue was dedicated on September 23, 2018. The facility features a new videoboard, permanent concessions, accessible bathrooms and a ticket office.
The first goal in Panzer Stadium history was scored by Kristin Roberto with 26:50 left in the first half.
NATIONAL AUDIENCE
Penn State will be featured on three Big Ten Network broadcasts and two ESPNU broadcasts this Spring.
The Nittany Lions' Big Ten home opener against No. 2 Maryland on March 21 will be shown on ESPNU. The blue and white will also face No. 17 Johns Hopkins in an ESPNU matchup on April 19.
The blue and white's matchup at No. 4 Northwestern, a 7 p.m. start, will be broadcast on Big Ten Network on March 28. PSU will also be on BTN on April 4 vs. Ohio State, a 7 p.m. matchup, and April 27 vs. Rutgers, an 11 a.m. game.
Junior Maria Auth