April 7, 2010
Northwestern Lacrosse Weekly Release - April 7 
Opening Draw
Northwestern embarks on its final road trip of the regular season, traveling to Pennsylvania for a pair of big Keystone State showdowns. The Wildcats first resume their rivalry with sixth-ranked Penn at historic Franklin Field Friday in a rematch of last season's epic NCAA semifinal match-up. Opening draw against the Quakers is set for 6 p.m. CT. Northwestern then heads to University Park for an American Lacrosse Conference tilt with 18th-ranked Penn State at 11 a.m. CT Sunday, April 11.
Wildcats on the Web
There are a number of ways Northwestern fans can keep up-to-date with the Wildcats this weekend. Against the Quakers, live streaming video and audio are available at PennAthletics.com along with live stats. WNUR will also be in Philadelphia and will broadcast the game live at 89.3 FM for fans in the Evanston area and online at Sports.WNUR.org. Against the Nittany Lions, BigTenNetwork.com will provide the online broadcast, with the game re-airing on the Network at 7 p.m. CT Monday, April 12 and again at midnight and 6 a.m. CT Tuesday, April 13. Twitter fans can also receive in-game updates by following @NU_SportsLIVE.
Scouting the Quakers
Sixth-ranked Penn enters Friday's game against Northwestern with a 9-2 record on the year, coming off a 12-6 loss to second-ranked Maryland and a 19-7 victory over Columbia last weekend. The Quakers, who are averaging 11.73 goals per game, have been led by 30 from senior Ali DeLuca, who recently became Penn's all-time leading goal scorer. Six other Quakers have recorded double-digit goal totals, including 18 from sophomore Erin Brennan and 17 from junior Guilia Giordano, who is tied with senior Courtney Lubbe for the team-lead in assists with 15. DeLuca has also been Penn's top draw control threat, winning 22 on the year with freshman Maggie Poplawski adding 15 and Brennan notching 14. Giordano has paced the Quakers with 24 ground balls on the year while senior Barb Seaman has caused 16 turnovers. On defense is where Penn has flexed its muscles, ranking second nationally by allowing just 6.27 goals per game while limiting its opponents to just 17.3 shots per game. Senior goalkeeper Emily Szelest has notched 58 saves on the year with a .472 save percentage and a 6.51 goals against average. Karin Brower-Corbett is in her 11th year at the helm of the Quakers with a 111-64 (.634) record and is 124-83 (.599) in her 13th season as a head coach.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
18th-ranked Penn State is 6-4 on the year and are 0-2 in American Lacrosse Conference play coming off a 13-11 defeat to Florida on Saturday. The Nittany Lions play at Lehigh Wednesday evening before hosting the Wildcats Sunday afternoon. PSU, who averages 12.50 goals per game, have had a very balanced attack in 2010 with seven different players recording double-digit goal totals. Junior Laura Lesnick leads the squad with 17 tallies on the year, one ahead of freshman Molly Fernandez, who leads the Nittany Lions with 25 points (16G, 9A) on the year. Senior Theresa Bucci and junior Jen Steadman have each added 15 goals on attack for the Nittany Lions with Steadman (23 pts.) and junior Mary Dean (20 pts.) joining Fernandez in the 20-point club. Senior Erica Mihm has paced Penn State with 27 draw controls on the year, complimented by 15 from junior Maggie Dunbar, who leads the Nittany Lions in both ground balls (28) and caused turnovers (13). Senior goalkeeper Stephanie Ellis has notched 58 saves on the year in net with a .414 save percentage and a 10.23 goals against average. Suzanne Isidor is in her ninth season at Penn State with an 80-84 (.488) record and is 135-98 (.579) in her 15th year as a head coach. There will be another familiar face on the Penn State sideline as former Wildcat All-American and Tewaaraton Trophy winner Hannah Nielsen is in her first season as an assistant coach for the Nittany Lions.
Series Information
Northwestern and Penn get together for the 10th time Friday with the Wildcats holding a 7-2 edge in the series. The rivalry has turned into one of the sport's best in recent years as the Wildcats and Quakers have met six times in the past three seasons including three postseason showdowns. Northwestern has won the last three meetings, including last season's 13-12 double overtime NCAA semifinal classic and a 10-6 victory in the 2008 NCAA title game. The Wildcats are 2-1 all-time at Franklin Field, but Penn took an 11-7 decision in the 2008 regular season finale, marking the last team to defeat Northwestern.
Sunday marks the 15th all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Nittany Lions as Northwestern holds a 10-4 advantage in the all-time series, including having won the last nine. The Big Ten rivals have also met six times in the past three seasons having met in each of the three American Lacrosse Conference tournaments. NU took a pair of victories last season, including a 17-6 regular season victory in Evanston and a 13-3 decision in the 2009 ALC Championship game, and is 5-2 against Penn State in University Park.
Spencer Joins 200-Point Club; Dowd Knocking on Door
Seniors Danielle Spencer and Katrina Dowd continue to make up one of the most feared offensive tandems in the country while moving up the program's all-time scoring chart. Spencer moved into an elite club in the victory against Duke Saturday as her three points upped her career total to 200, becoming the 10th member of the Northwestern 200-point club while remaining seventh all-time with 164 career goals. She also remains in fifth-place in program history with 140 career draw controls after tying the program's single-game record with 10 draws against the Blue Devils. Dowd remains eighth all-time with 162 career goals while extending her consecutive point streak to 37 games, and is on the verge of joining Spencer in the 200-point club with 198 career points. Dowd also ranks eighth all-time with 49 career caused turnovers.
For the complete weekly release, click the PDF link above.