Game Preview: Women’s Lacrosse vs. Drexel
The Nittany Lions head to Panzer stadium on Saturday to compete against the Drexel Dragons.
Since 2013, Penn State is 5-1 against the Philadelphia school. Its last loss was last year where Drexel pulled out the victory 12-8.
Penn State is coming off of a huge 16-6 win against Bucknell this previous Saturday. Not only did this start off the Nittany Lions 1-0, but it was also their 20th consecutive win against the Bison.
A big component of the victory was junior Kristin O’Neill who had a stellar performance. She scored three goals in just the first quarter alone and went on to score six total: a career-high for her.
Her previous best was a five goal game against Cornell last season, but she was finally able to make her mark and celebrate her victory on home turf.
Not only is she one of the best midfielders for Penn State and a player to watch for opposing teams, she is also a co-captain leader of the squad and was put on both the Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch and Tewaaraton Award Watch lists.
O’Neill wasn’t the only player to have an impressive performance last week. Brooke Hoss, Emma Kelly, and Kara Nealon all recorded hat tricks and the team outshot the Bisons 43-11.
The win against Bucknell was the Nittany Lions’ first game of the season and will push them into their upcoming matchup against Drexel.
The Dragons are coming off of a big-scoring game as well where they beat Wagner 12-5. They are also the reigning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Champions.
Within the first five minutes of the game, senior Corinne Bednarik and fifth year Lindsey Dean both scored to give Drexel the 2-0 advantage.
Most notable was Hayleigh Simpson’s performance with her first hat trick of the season. The win over the Seahawks was a team effort as seven total players scored in the game.
Bednarik and teammate Belle McHugh have also been named to the CAA Preseason All-Conference Team.
Last year, Bednarik was named First Team All-CAA and started in all 20 of the Dragons’ matchups. She has Drexel’s single-season record for the most number of draw controls at a whopping 95, and also had five games with three or more goals in 2022.
McHugh additionally started all games for the Dragons and is a key to their stellar defense. She was a CAA Defensive Player of the Week in 2022, which came after two games where the senior caused seven turnovers and nine ground balls.
Penn State is seeking its second win at home to go 2-0 on the season, while Drexel is hoping to increase their record to 3-0. Its other win was home against Binghamton.
Currently, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 25 in the NCAA while Drexel is ranked No. 37.
Allie Wenskoski is a first-year broadcast journalism student. To contact her, please email amw7637@psu.edu.
