UNIVERSITY PARK, PA.- Penn State women's lacrosse continues its five-game home stint with an in-state battle against Drexel on Saturday Feb. 18. First draw at Panzer Stadium is set for 3 p.m.
The Dragons have a familiar face on their sidelines with first year head coach Katie O'Donnell. O'Donnell is a 2018 Penn State women's lacrosse alumna and two-time All-American, Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and an IWLCA first team All-American.
The Nittany Lions received votes in the IL/IWLCA Coaches Poll this week and rank fourth in the Big Ten.
GAME INFORMATION
vs. Drexel
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 | Time: 3 p.m.
- Location: University Park, Pa. | Venue: Panzer Stadium
- Live Stats | Watch: BTN+ ($) | Notes
- Admission: Ticketed
LAST TIME OUT
- The Nittany Lions sailed to a 16-6 win over Bucknell in their season opener last weekend. Penn State continued a 20-game, undefeated win streak against the Bison.
- Kristin O'Neill led the offense with a career high six goals on 10 shots and seven points with one assist.
- Senior Kara Nealon, Sophomore Brooke Hoss and freshman Emma Kelly all notched hat tricks.
- Sammy Dupcak earned a career high six caused turnovers and a game high five ground balls. She also added four draw controls.
- 28 Nittany Lions saw action in the game.
NITTANY LIONS TO WATCH
- Kristin O'Neill, Sammy Dupcak and Ellie Hollin were named Big Ten Players to Watch in the preseason.
- O'Neill was also named to The Tewaaraton Award Watch List and selected by Inside Lacrosse as a Top 100 Returning Player at the start of this season.
- Freshmen Erika Ho, Maggie Golder and Emma Kelly were placed on Inside Lacrosse's Power Top 100 Freshman List.
- Elise Smigiel joins Penn State as a sophomore transfer from Marquette.
2023 CAPTAINS
- Head coach Missy Doherty named seniors Rachel Spilker and Regan Nealon and junior Kristin O'Neill as captains for the 2023 season.
- This is Spilker's second season as a co-captain for the Nittany Lions.
STAFF ADDITIONS
- Doherty added two new faces to her coaching staff for the 2023 season. Shanna Brady will join as the team's defensive coordinator and Naomi Radio will serve as the volunteer assistant coach.
- A Maryland graduate, Brady joins Happy Valley after a two year stint at Towson as an assistant coach.
- Radio spent the 2022 season as the first-ever head women's lacrosse coach at Juniata college.
PENN STATE – DREXEL SERIES
- The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series 8-1.
- Prior to the Dragons' first win in 2022, Penn State had won eight consecutive games.
SCOUTING THE DRAGONS
- Drexel head coach O'Donnell is a former Nittany Lion and familiar face for Penn State head coach Doherty, who coached O'Donnell in her time in Happy Valley.
- The Dragons defeated their first two opponents this season, Binghamton 17-5 and Wagner 12-5.
- Senior midfielder Corinne Bednarik was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week last week after scoring five goals and tallying two assists against Binghamton.
Parking and Ticket Information
- We will NOT clear the stadium in between games. No Re-entry! If fans want to leave in between games they will have to pay for another ticket.
- Women's lacrosse ticket prices will start immediately following the men's game. If fans are only coming to the women's game, they can either pay the men's prices to get in early or wait until after the men's game to pay the women's prices ($5 for adults, $3 for kids).
- We will open all gates 90 minutes prior to men's game time (10:30am).
- Fan Parking: The parking lots will get full quicker than usual due to THON happening at the Bryce Jordan Center this weekend. Fans can use Stadium West, Jordan East and Porter North lots.
- Parking for all Penn State Athletics' non-football events will require a valid permit or payment of the applicable parking fee for campus lots. Fans with valid Penn State University Park parking permits will be permitted to park at non-football athletics events for free, following Transportation Services parking policies and access.
- For women's lacrosse games, fans are asked to park in the Jordan East, Stadium West or Porter North lots. Fans without a permit are encouraged to prepay for event parking at a discounted rate of $5.50 through ParkMobile - https://psu.parkmobile.io/. Prepayment is available through 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each event. Event day parking will be $10 per vehicle and is cash only/can be purchased on the ParkMobile app. The East Deck is also available for most events for $1 per hour.
- Parking for all non-football athletics events is managed by Penn State Transportation Services. For more information or questions, visit transportation.psu.edu or email parking@psu.edu.