UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 19 Penn State Women's Lacrosse team is set to welcome No. 7 James Madison to Holuba Hall on Wednesday. The matchup is slated to start at 2 p.m. Admission is free to the public.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, looks to get back on the winning track after a 13-8 setback at No. 13 Loyola on Saturday. Penn State is 3-2 and ranked No. 19 in the IWLCA Poll.
James Madison, coached by Shelly Klaes-Bawcombe, is 4-1 this season after a 21-4 win over Canisius last Friday.
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This marks the 34th contest in the series, with the Nittany Lions holding a 21-12 advantage.
The Nittany Lions fell 14-12 in last year's matchup. Penn State outscored the Dukes, 8-7, in the second half. PSU made a late 3-0 run to close the deficit to two with 3:38 to go, but could not complete the comeback. Madison Carter led PSU with five goals, while Maria Auth had a goal and two assists.
SCOUTING THE DUKES
No. 7 James Madison, coached by Shelly Klaes-Bawcombe, is 4-1 this year after a 21-4 win over Canisius last Friday. The Dukes also have wins over No. 14 Virginia Tech (14-8), UConn (18-9) and High Point (12-5).
James Madison jumped out to a 13-1 lead at halftime in its victory against Canisius. A balanced effort saw 11 Dukes collect at least two points.
Attacker Hanna Haven leads JMU with 24 points, with 11 goals and 13 assists, while Logan Brennan paces the team with 15 goals. Molly Dougherty has a .494 save percentage in goal. James Madison ranks 21st in the nation in scoring offense (14.4 goals per game) and 16th in scoring defense (5.6).
The Dukes were the 2018 National Champions, going 22-1 and defeating Boston College, 16-15, in the National Championship Game.
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 16 goals and 20 points this year.
The senior ranks second the Big Ten, and 30th in the nation, with 3.20 goals per game. She is also seventh in the Big Ten and 36th in the country with 16 goals.
She was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on February 27 and was the Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week on February 13.
CARTER MOVES UP POINTS LIST
With a goal against Loyola, senior Madison Carter now has 217 career points and moved into sole possession of seventh all-time at Penn State. She passed Laurie Gray (1981-84) on Saturday and now sits 10 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 four in goals (196).
The Maryland native 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. She tallied a season-high seven points 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.
SHOOT TO SCORE
One of the keys to PSU's offensive attack this year is a high volume of shots. PSU ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 29th nationally averaging 32.2 shots per game. The Nittany Lions also sit 19th in the nation, and third in the conference, averaging 25.0 shots on goal per game.
SECOND HALF SURGE
PSU is currently averaging 7.4 goals in the second half. The blue and white tallied five goals in the second half at Loyola.
The Nittany Lions scored seven times in the second half against Princeton, led by Carter's five goals. PSU started the 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 dropped to No. 19 in this week's IWLCA Poll. The blue and white is also No. 19 in the Inside 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 Hayley DeAgostine