UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Lacrosse team opens the 2020 season at Towson on Saturday, February 8. First draw is scheduled for noon at Johnny Unitas Field with a broadcast on the Towson Sports Network.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, won eight games in 2019. Penn State reached the Big Ten semifinals after going 3-3 in conference play.
Towson, coached by Sonia LaMonica, finished 7-10 overall in 2019. The Tigers went 5-1 in CAA action.
Follow along with the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@PennStateWLAX).
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Towson is coached by Sonia LaMonica, in her 10th season. The Tigers finished 7-10 in 2019, including a 5-1 mark in CAA play. Penn State earned a 13-7 win over Towson in last year's season opener in Happy Valley.
Senior defender Sami Chenoweth, senior defender Olivia Conti and junior attacker Kaitlin Thornton earned Preseason All-CAA honors. Chenoweth was tabbed a Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse after leading the country with 64 caused turnovers in 2019. She was a postseason IWLCA All-America Third Team selection.
Conti was named a Preseason All-America honorable mention by Inside Lacrosse. She tallied 41 caused turnovers and 39 groundballs in 2019. Thornton led Tigers returners with 31 goals and 45 points in 2019.
CARTER EARNS PRESEASON HONOR
Senior attacker Madison Carter was named a third-team Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. Carter returns for her fifth year after suffering an injury early last season. She graduated in May with a degree in Rehabilitation and Human Services and is pursuing a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She is a two-time IWLCA All-American and a three-time All-Big Ten selection.
Through the first six games of the 2019 season, Carter tallied 17 goals, four assists, five groundballs, 24 draw controls and two caused turnovers. She had three multi-point games, including a career high-tying six goals against Cornell. She also had five goals and six draw controls at Princeton.
Carter enters the 2020 season sitting fifth all-time at Penn State with 197 goals. She is also seventh in program history with 218 career points. In 2019, Carter became the 15th Nittany Lion to reach the 200-point mark.
PENN STATE SELECTS TEAM CAPTAINS
The Nittany Lions selected four players as team captains for the 2020 season. Senior attacker Madison Carter, senior defender Hayley DeAgostine, junior attacker/midfielder Quinn Nicolai and junior midfielder Sophia Triandafils were tabbed to lead the squad.
DeAgostine, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, started all 17 games in 2019. She totaled 16 groundballs, two draw controls and nine caused turnovers. Nicolai made 15 starts on attack last season, leading the team with 34 goals. She ranked second on the team with 42 points. She placed seventh in the Big Ten with 4.0 shots on goal per game. Triandafils started 14 games at midfield, recording a team-high 17 assists to go with 24 goals and 16 draw controls.
The captains will lead the 24 returners and 11 newcomers that make up the 2020 squad.
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH
Carter, senior attacker Maria Auth and sophomore goalie Taylor Suplee were selected as Big Ten Players To Watch.
An All-Big Ten selection in 2019, Auth led the Nittany Lions with 46 points, including 32 goals. She had 11 multi-point games and 10 games with multiple goals. In Big Ten play, Auth led the Nittany Lions with 22 points and 17 goals.
Suplee started all 17 games as a freshman in 2019. She tallied 165 saves and a .481 save percentage. The Maryland native finished No. 2 in the Big Ten and No. 24 in the nation with 9.71 saves per game. She was also third in the conference and 18th in the nation in save percentage. Suplee was No. 3 in the Big Ten with 165 saves. Suplee led the conference with 67 saves in Big Ten games and was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team.
NEW FACES ON COACHING STAFF
The Nittany Lions welcomed assistant coaches Corrine Drost and Michael Molster to the staff.
Drost served as the offensive coordinator at William & Mary in 2019. Molster spent seven seasons at Towson, coaching the defense and goalies. He is also a defensive assistant for the England Senior National Team.
SECOND YEAR IN PANZER
The Nittany Lions will host Lehigh on February 15 to open up their second season in Panzer Stadium. Penn State earned five home wins in 2019, including four in Panzer Stadium.
The state-of-the-art venue was dedicated on September 23, 2018. The stadium project was made possible through the efforts of Ken Panzer, a 1982 graduate and former co-captain of the men's lacrosse team, and his long-time business partner at Douglas Emmett, Jordan Kaplan. In May 2017, the duo committed a $3.55 million gift to transform the Penn State Lacrosse Field into one of the premier lacrosse stadiums in the country. Additional gifts by Penn State lacrosse alumni and donors totaled $2 million, bringing the total donations to $5.6 million.
Junior Quinn Nicolai