Penn State Women’s Lacrosse Looking to Keep Hot Start Against Arizona State
Penn State Women’s Lacrosse continued their longest home winning streak since 2013 on Tuesday when they dominated the Duquesne Dukes 19-5. This marks the team’s highest-scoring game of the season so far, with goals scored by 13 different Nittany Lions. Penn State now sits at 3-0 on the season while Duquesne has fallen to 0-3.
Once again, Penn State’s efficiency in the offensive end along with their ability to win draw control battles set them up for major success. As they have in every game this season, Penn State heavily outshot Duquesne 36-10 and won 20 of 26 draws. The team will need to keep this momentum going as they prepare for their next battle against Arizona State.
Unlike the Nittany Lions, the Sun Devils only have one game under their belt this season. They’re currently sitting at 1-0 after an exciting win against St. Bonaventure in which multiple young players earned their first career goals.
Arizona State has a new head coach this year, Taryn VanThof, who said that the team played as a unit with emotion and energy. The Sun Devils lead the game in almost every statistical category including shots, assists, ground balls, draws, and caused turnovers.
Much like Penn State, Arizona State’s offense is a force to be reckoned with. Last Saturday, the team managed to score early and hold the lead. The team has multiple big scorers that Penn State will need to watch out for including Kaylon Buckner, Berit Brookfield, and Teagan Ng, who all earned hat tricks in the last game.
Both teams are playing with a lot of young talent. For the Nittany Lions, new players have been making an impact all over the field. Freshman Erika Ho, Maggie Galder, and Emma Kelly were all added to Inside Lacrosse’s Power 100 Freshman List, and as of Tuesday, freshman goalie Emily Bette has officially made her college debut.
For Arizona State, their underclassmen shined in the offense. Nine of the team’s 16 goals on Saturday were earned by freshmen and sophomores. With a whole season ahead of them, Arizona’s young players should have many more opportunities to show their skills and solidify their role on the team.
Penn State and Arizona state are very close to one another in NCAA rankings, with Penn State sitting at No. 25 and Arizona at No. 28. This upcoming game should be hard-fought, as neither team is looking to add a loss to their record.
The game will take place at 3 p.m. this Friday at Panzer Stadium.
Anna Licastro is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email arl5942@psu.edu.
