UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 7/5 Penn State Women's Lacrosse team is set for pair of Top 10 matchups against No. 3 Northwestern this week in Evanston. On Thursday, the Nittany Lions will meet the Wildcats at 4 p.m. ET. Saturday's matchup will begin at 3 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast on Big Ten Network+.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are ranked No. 7 in the IWLCA Poll and No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll.
Last time out, Penn State knocked off No. 7 Maryland, 15-13, on February 21. Olivia Dirks led Penn State with five goals and an assist to earn IWLCA and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week awards. Taylor Suplee made 14 saves to collected IWLCA and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors. Kristin O'Neill was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after tallying two goals and two assists.
Northwestern, coached by Kelly Amonte Hiller, is off to a 3-0 start and ranked No. 3 in both national polls.
The matchup features two of the top offenses in the country. Penn State ranks fourth in the nation averaging 17.5 goals per game, while Northwestern leads the country averaging 19.3 goals per contest.
Follow along with the team by watching on Big Ten Network+ or following our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State trails the all-time series, 23-9, against Northwestern. The teams last met on March 28, 2019 with Northwestern winning 19-11. Penn State won the previous matchup, 21-16, in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament.
In the 2019 contest, Quinn Nicolai led the blue and white with three goals. Kayla Brisolari and Delaney Muldoon both tallied two goals. Taylor Suplee made 10 saves.
MEET THE WILDCATS
Northwestern, led by Kelly Amonte Hiller, is 3-0 this season with wins over Ohio State (23-7) and Johns Hopkins (17-8, 18-9).
In NU's first game against Johns Hopkins, Izzy Scane recorded four goals and two assists, while Lauren Gilbert had three goals and an assist. In the second game, Scane scored seven times and Gilbert contributed four goals and a pair of assists.
The Wildcats leads the country in scoring offense, averaging 19.3 goals per game. They also rank 21st in the nation averaging 6.3 assists per game.
Northwestern holds second in the nation in draw controls, winning 20 per game. The Wildcats are 12th in scoring defense, allowing 8.0 goals per game.
Scane ranks seventh in the country with 20 goals, third in goals per game (6.7) and second in points per game (25). Gilbert ranks 34th in the nation with 13 goals.
Brennan Dwyer ranks sixth in the nation averaging 8.7 draw controls per game.
PENN STATE VS. TOP 5 TEAMS
Penn State owns nine wins over Top 5 opponents since 2005 with a 9-47 overall record.
The Nittany Lions' last Top 5 win came against No. 5 Princeton, 14-12, in the 2017 NCAA Quarterfinal.
Penn State's last regular season win over a Top 5 team came earlier in the 2017 season against No. 5 Princeton, 13-8, in Holuba Hall.
NATIONAL TV NITS
Penn State will have three games televised on national broadcasts this season.
The Nittany Lions' home contest against Michigan on Sunday, March 21 will be broadcast on ESPNU at 10 a.m.
The blue and white will again appear on "the U" for its Wednesday, April 7 game at Johns Hopkins, beginning at 4 p.m.
Penn State's contest against Ohio State on Friday, March 26 will be broadcast on Big Ten Network at noon.
All six games of the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Penn State, will be shown on Big Ten Network.
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Two Nittany Lions garnered national recognition after Penn State' 15-13 win over No. 7 Maryland.
Olivia Dirks was selected as IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring five goals and adding an assist. She also caused three turnovers. Dirks scored the Nittany Lions' final three goals of the game, including the go-ahead goal with 2:09 left and the goal to seal the win with 44 seconds left.
Taylor Suplee was tabbed IWLCA Defensive Player of the Week after making 14 saves, including five on free-position attempts. Suplee earned her 17th career double-digit save performance.
NITS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
A few Nittany Lions are among the national stat leaders.
Taylor Suplee ranks fourth in the country in saves per game (13.0) and 18th in save percentage (.520). Suplee holds second in the nation in ground balls per game (6.0).
Olivia Dirks sits fourth in caused turnovers per game (3.0) and 21st in draw controls per game (6.5). She also sits 35th in goals per game (3.5). Sammy Dupcak is also a national leader in caused turnovers, ranking 12th while averaging 2.5 per game.
Kristin O'Neill holds 21st in the country in points per game (5.0). She's also 12th in free-position goals per game (1.5) and 24th in assists per game (2.0). Among Division I freshmen, O'Neill is tied for the lead in points per contest.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Three true freshmen (Kayla Abernathy, Sammy Dupcak, Kristin O'Neill) and three second-year freshmen (Olivia Dirks, Kara Nealon, Rachel Spilker) started for the Nittany Lions against Rutgers. True freshman Gretchen Gilmore also made her Penn State debut against Rutgers.
So far, freshmen have combined for 20 goals, 57 percent of Penn State's team total (35). They have also combined for 12 of Penn State's 14 assists (86%) and 32 of 49 points (65%).
NEXT TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions return to action on March 19 and 21 when they welcome No. 21 Michigan to Panzer Stadium. The second game, on Sunday, March 21, will be broadcast on ESPNU at 10 a.m.
