UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Lacrosse team has announced its 2021 schedule. The Nittany Lions will compete through a 12-game slate, all against Big Ten opponents. Penn State will face each conference opponent twice. The Nittany Lions will play six home games and six road contests. Game times are to be determined.
The Nittany Lions are ranked 18th in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll and 21st in the IWLCA Preseason Poll.
"We are so excited to begin our 2021 season," said Head Coach Missy Doherty. "The Big Ten is one of the premier conferences in the country and we are looking forward to competing against the best teams in the nation."
Penn State begins the 2021 season on Sunday, February 14 hosting Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights went 5-4 during the 2020 season.
The Nittany Lions welcome Maryland to Panzer Stadium the following Sunday, February 21. Maryland concluded its 2020 campaign ranked 11th in the IWLCA Poll with a 3-3 record. The Terrapins were tabbed 8th in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll and 7th in the IWLCA Preseason Poll heading into the 2021 season.
Penn State travels to Northwestern for a two-game series on Friday, March 5 and Sunday, March 7. The Wildcats went 4-3 to rank No. 6 in the nation to finish the 2020 season. Northwestern is ranked fourth in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll and fifth in the IWLCA Preseason Poll.
The Nittany Lions return to Panzer Stadium to host Michigan on Friday, March 19 and Sunday, March 21. The Wolverines earned a 5-1 record in 2020, raking 12th in the final IWLCA Poll. Michigan is ranked No. 9 in both preseason polls.
Penn State heads back on the road to Ohio State for a two-game series on Friday, March 26 and Sunday, March 28. Ohio State finished the 2020 season with a 5-4 mark.
The blue and white travels to Johns Hopkins on Friday, April 9. The Blue Jays finished the 2020 season with a 4-3 record. Penn State completes the weekend by hosting Maryland on Sunday, April 11.
Penn State concludes the regular season on the weekend of April 16-18. The Nittany Lions travel to Rutgers on Friday, April 16 and host Johns Hopkins on Sunday, April 18.
Dates are subject to change. Check out our schedule page on GoPSUSports.com for the latest information.
The Nittany Lions started the 2020 season with a 5-2 mark before it was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Penn State earned wins over Towson (12-9), Lehigh (13-9), Duquesne (20-6), Cornell (19-9) and Vanderbilt (14-13).
Penn State averaged 13.7 goals per game, ranking third in the Big Ten. Maria Auth led the Nittany Lions with 22 goals and 11 assists.
On the defensive end, the Nittany Lions ranked fourth in the country and first in the Big Ten in save percentage (.531). Taylor Suplee was recently named an honorable mention Preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse. She led the Big Ten with 12.43 saves per game, good for second in the country. Suplee was also fifth in the nation with 87 saves and seventh with a .527 save percentage.
Auth and Suplee are two of 26 returning members from the 2020 squad. The Nittany Lions also welcomed nine freshmen who made up Inside Lacrosse's top 2020 recruiting class in the nation.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
