Oct. 8, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. — Having already assured itself of a winning record in the 2009 regular season, No. 18 Northwestern goes on the road Friday in hopes of scoring its first Big Ten victory of the year. The Wildcats (11-4) will try to topple a Penn State team that is 4-8 overall but coming off consecutive wins against ranked opponents.
Gametracker will not be available for Friday's contest but Wildcat fans can receive live updates from the Penn State Field Hockey Complex by following the username @PennStateFH on Twitter. Start time on Friday is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Northwestern's offensive attack has been a consistent strength throughout the 2009 campaign and the numbers provide sure evidence to that effect. NU is leading the Big Ten (and ahead of school-record pace) with its average of four goals per game and, with four games remaining, is just nine scores shy of breaking the school record for goals in a single season (69 set in 1982). The 'Cats are trying to become the first NU squad since 1990 to make it through an entire regular season without being shutout in a game at least once.
NU has repeatedly pounced on its opponents right out of the gate, outscoring the opposition 27-8 in the first half of play this season. Northwestern is a perfect 9-0 when leading at halftime in 2009.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State endured a number of hard-luck losses early in the year, including one-goal decisions against No. 5 Connecticut and No. 6 Virginia. Following a 2-0 defeat to Michigan in its Big Ten-opener, however, PSU has rebounded of late by downing then-No. 18 Ohio State in overtime and No. 13 Stanford 3-1 in its last two games.
Junior Ali Meves has stood tall in the cage for Penn State this season and leads the conference in saves (66) and saves per game (6.60). Sophomore Jessica Longstreth, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2008, is the team's leading goal-scorer this year with four.
Become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook and follow the 'Cats on Twitter!