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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 2 Virginia women’s lacrosse team faces another quick turnaround, as the Cavaliers host Penn State in a non-conference tilt on Sunday at noon. WINA AM 1070 will broadcasting the game in the Charlottesville area, with John Freeman and Jamie Leachman calling the action. ACC Select will also provide a live broadcast, while live stats can be found on VirginiaSports.com.
The Cavaliers (4-1, 1-1 ACC) enter the contest coming off a tough 17-11 loss to No. 3 Maryland Friday night. Senior All-American Jenny Hauser led the Cavaliers, notching five goals on five shots, but Maryland’s Sarah Mollison tallied six with an assist, to pace the Terrapins.
Penn State enters the contest with a 4-0 record, coming off a 13-3 win over Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday. Seventeen Nittany Lions have scored for Penn State this season, led by Marisa Lozano’s seven goals. Erica Mihm and Megan McGuire have each dished out seven helpers. Jackie Eastman leads the team with 15 ground balls, while Mihm and Kerry Shea have won 10 draw controls each.
In goal, Stephanie Ellis has started all four games, giving up just 5.8 goals per game, while stopping .448 percent of shots faced.
For Virginia, senior All-American Ashley McCulloch leads the attack with 14 goals and 15 assists, while All-American classmate Blair Weymouth has scored a team-high 16 goals. Junior Kaitlin Duff leads the midfield with 13 ground balls, 13 caused turnovers and 11 draw controls. Classmate Brittany Kalkstein leads the team with 20 draw controls.
In goal, redshirt sophomore Lauren Benner is giving up 9.39 goals per game, while stopping .459 percent of shots faced.
In the all-time series between the two programs, Penn State holds the slight edge at 15-14, but the Cavaliers have won 11 of the last 12 meetings. The Nittany Lions dominated the beginning of the series, winning all 10 contests from 1983-1991, before the Cavaliers rallied for three-straight victories.
When playing in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers trail 7-8, but won the most recent meeting, 13-6, in 2006. Prior to their loss in 2005, the Cavaliers had won the five other meetings, dating back to 1997.
Following the contest, Virginia will head to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a contest against No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday, March 14 at noon.