Penn State Women’s Lacrosse Back Home Against Towson
No. 25 Penn State vs Towson: Game Preview
Penn State (5-2) returns to Panzer Stadium to defend its home-field advantage against Towson (4-2) on Tuesday, March 14.
The Nittany Lions just wrapped up a two-game stretch in Nashville, as they went 1-1 against Vanderbilt (9-10 L) and Rutgers (9-7 W).
The two sides have a historic matchup history against one another, as Penn State leads the series 11-1 with their most recent win coming in 2022. To add fuel to the fire, the Nittany Lions are 5-0 against Towson in Panzer Stadium.
Leading the blue and white is Kristin O’Neill. The junior from Maryland leads the team in points and goals with 25 and 23, respectively. As the “point guard” of the offense, O’Neill brings a high IQ to the field and should have a great outing against Towson.
Along with O’Neill, Gretchen Gilmore also produces goals for the blue and white. Gilmore has eight goals and four assists this season. The scoring doesn't stop as Meghan Murray also brings eight goals to Panzer Stadium on March 14.
Setting up the scorers, Kara Nealon has a “team first” attitude on the field as she leads the team in assists with five. Three NIttany Lions also have four assists – Gilmore, Alaina Hamood and Brooke Barger.
In net, sophomore Ashley Bowan has had a fantastic start to the season. The Friendship, Md. native has 42 saves in seven games for Penn State.
Scouting Towson:
The Towson Tigers (4-2) are coming off a 17-10 win against Central Michigan on March 4th. The ten-day hiatus between matchups should give the Tigers plenty of time to scout and come prepared against the No. 25 team in the country.
The Tigers defense has allowed double-digit goals in four of their six matchups this season with Jo Torres in net. Torres is allowing 10.28 goals per matchup and while facing an elite offense like the Nittany Lions, the blue and white should reach that goal total with ease.
On the offensive side, the Tigers are led by a duo of sophomore Milana Zizakovic and senior Blair Pearre. Zizakovic has had a hot start to her 2023 campaign with 16 goals and nine assists. As for Pearre, she has 14 goals and an assist in her senior season.
Besides the duo leading the offensive statistics, the Tigers have Linsay Clarke with five goals and nine assists. Clarke had a goal and five assists against Arizona State on Feb. 26.
Other notable names in the Towson lineup includes Lindsey Marshall (13 points) and Gabby Garrett (nine points).
Come support the Nittany Lions as they take on the Towson Tigers in a mid-week matchup at Panzer Stadium.
Jasper Abrahams is a first-year student studying Communications. To contact him, please email jpa5778@psu.edu
