UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Lacrosse team makes the short trip to Duquesne on Tuesday for a mid-week matchup. The Nittany Lions and the Dukes will battle at 3 p.m. at Rooney Field with a broadcast on ESPN+.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are 5-7 overall. Penn State returns to action, following a bye week, after a 16-13 setback against No. 8 Virginia on April 7.
Duquesne, coached by Corinne Desrosiers, is 8-6 overall, including 3-5 in the Atlantic 10. The Dukes earned two conference wins this past weekend against George Washington (20-9) and St. Bonaventure (18-5).
Follow the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This marks the eighth meeting in the series, with the Nittany Lions holding a 7-0 record.
The Nittany Lions earned a 19-8 win over the Dukes last year in Happy Valley. PSU scored the first six goals of the game on its way to a 13-5 advantage in at halftime. Katie Schluederberg led PSU with six points, while Sophia Triandafils scored four goals.
DOMINATE THE STATE
Penn State has won 34 straight regular season games against teams from the state of Pennsylvania, dating back to 2009. PSU defeated Lehigh, 15-5, earlier this season.
The Nittany Lions are 108-22 all-time against current Division I teams in Pennsylvania.
SCOUTING THE DUKES
Duquesne, coached by Corinne Desrosiers, is 8-6 overall and 3-5 in the Atlantic 10 after two conference wins this past weekend. The Dukes knocked off George Washington (20-9) and St. Bonaventure (18-5).
The Dukes sit fifth in the nation with 16.9 goals per game and allow 13.5 goals per contest. Duquesne leads the country in shots per game (41.6) and shots on goal per game (30.5).
Rilee Bradshaw leads the Dukes with 48 goals, good for 17th in the country. Maddie Hart has 38 tallies and Michaela Connolly owns 30. Hart is also ninth in the nation averaging 7.2 draw controls per contest. Maddy Curtis averages 7.1 saves per game.
KAYLA'S CAREER DAY
Senior Kayla Brisolari set a career high with four goals against Virginia. She recorded a first-half hat-trick, including two unassisted goals. The do-it-all senior added six draw controls, one below her career mark, and a caused turnover.
Brisolari was one of five players who scored multiple goals against the Cavaliers. Maria Auth, Delaney Muldoon, Quinn Nicolai and Sophia Triandafils all tallied two goals. Triandafils added a career-best three assists. Kelly Daggett also had a career-high three assists.
BALANCED EFFORT
Penn State benefitted from a balanced attack against Virginia, with five players recording two or more goals. That followed a performance in which four Nittany Lions earned a hat-trick against Ohio State, led by Auth's six goals. Brisolari, Muldoon and Triandafils each tallied three goals.
On the season, six Nittany Lions have at least 20 points, led by Nicolai's 30 (23 goals, seven assists). Brisolari owns 27 points (22 goals, 5 assists) matching Triandafils (12 goals, 15 assists). Auth has 24 points, Muldoon has 23 and Madison Carter has 21.
SCORING EARLY AND OFTEN
Penn State set the tone in its 21-5 win over Ohio State, jumping out to leads of 4-0 and 6-1. PSU led 14-2 at halftime, ending the half on an 8-0 run.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of mistakes by the Buckeyes. PSU scored five times on free-position looks and three times on man-up opportunities.
The game ended with Penn State owning a 43-21 advantage in shots with 36 of those resulting in shots on goal.
MARIA'S MONSTER DAY
Junior Maria Auth enjoyed a monster performance against the Buckeyes, setting a career-high with nine points and matching a career-best with six goals. Four of Auth's six goals came in the first half, including two on free-position shots. She assisted on the Nittany Lions' first three goals of the game, setting a season-high.
For her efforts against OSU and Virginia, Auth was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
STEPPING UP IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Halfway through the Big Ten schedule, a few Nittany Lions have stepped up in big ways.
Nicolai has emerged as a key leader of the offense, leading the unit with 11 goals and four assists. Auth owns 10 goals and three assists. Brisolari has made plays on both ends of the field. She has eight goals to go with 10 ground balls, 10 draw controls and eight caused turnovers, leading the team in all four stats in conference play.
Freshman Taylor Suplee has made 48 saves in four conference games, making 10 more saves in three contests.
BRISOLARI ON TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Kayla Brisolari was added to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on March 21. She joined teammate Madison Carter on the watch list. Brisolari has collected 22 goals, five assists, 28 ground balls, 44 draw controls and 20 caused turnovers this season, leading the Nittany Lions in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. She is tied second on the team in points. The senior leads the Big Ten with 1.67 caused turnovers per game.
Brisolari has two games this year with four goals. She has nine games with two or more points and seven games with two or more goals.
Last year, Brisolari was a third-team All-America selection by the IWLCA. Carter was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on February 28. It marked her third straight season on the watch list.
STEADY PRESENCE IN GOAL
Freshman goalie Taylor Suplee has emerged as a consistent force at the back of the Penn State defense.
She has posted seven double-digit save totals this year, including a career-high 16 stops against Maryland. Eleven of her 16 saves came in the first half. The Maryland native collected 14 saves, including 10 in the first half, at Michigan and 12 saves against Virginia. She also made 11 stops at Cornell and 10 at Northwestern.
Suplee was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on March 12 after making 11 saves against James Madison and eight against Albany.
The rookie sits No. 2 in the Big Ten in saves per game (9.83) and fourth in total saves (118). She is also No. 4 in save percentage (.468).
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
The Nittany Lions played their third nationally televised game this year against Ohio State, including its second on BTN.
On March 28, Penn State played at Northwestern on Big Ten Network, PSU's first of three appearances on BTN. The blue and white will also be on BTN on April 27 vs. Rutgers, an 11 a.m. first draw.
Penn State hosted Maryland in the first nationally televised game in Panzer Stadium history, on ESPNU, on March 21. The blue and white also face No. 19 Johns Hopkins in an ESPNU matchup on April 19.
The stadium opened this year with full broadcast capabilities.
Senior Kelly Daggett