Penn State Women Advance to ALC Final
from press release
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On the strength of an
offensive outpouring from senior Marisa Lozano (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
and a stellar effort in goal from junior Stephanie Ellis (Bryn
Mawr, Pa.), the Penn State women's lacrosse team (9-7) ousted Ohio
State (11-6) from the 2009 ALC Championship with a decisive 11-7
semifinal victory at Jeffrey Field on Friday evening.
With the win, the Nittany Lions punch their ticket to the ALC title
game for the first time in the three-year history of the
championship. Penn State will vie for the conference crown with
four-time defending national champion, No. 1-ranked, and undefeated
Northwestern (18-0) on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Wildcats
defeated Vanderbilt, 15-10, earlier in the day to advance to their
third-straight ALC finals.
Lozano tallied a single-game career-high seven points, on three
goals and four assists, to spark the Penn State attack. She set the
pace early, playing a role in the Nittany Lions' first six goals of
the game. Ellis, recently named to the All-ALC Second Team, made
key save after key save, totaling 10 for the game, to anchor an
outstanding Penn State defensive performance. She also tied for the
team lead with four ground balls.
Penn State squashed any designs Ohio State had on avenging its 13-9
regular season loss and gaining payback for its ALC Championship
defeats of the past two years by utterly dominating play in the
first half. The Nittany Lions fashioned a remarkable 7-0 lead and
held the Buckeyes scoreless for the game's first 24-plus minutes.
Lozano netted two of the seven goals and assisted on two scores by
sophomore Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) and one by junior
Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.) and freshman Theresa Zichelli (Severna
Park, Md.). Senior Mariel Bryan (Folsom, Pa.) capped off the
scoring run with her second goal of the season at the 6:48
mark.
After Ohio State cut into the PSU advantage with back-to-back
goals, Lesnick ended the period on a high note, putting in her
third score of the game with just one second remaining. At the
break, the Lions held a commanding 8-2 lead.
Penn State put the game away early in the second half, scoring
three unanswered goals to build an insurmountable 11-2 advantage
with 17:57 on the clock. Lozano, junior Theresa Bucci (Hudson,
Ohio), and Mihm accounted for the goals.
The Lions slowed the game down from that point on, holding the ball
for long stretches in its offensive zone when they controlled
possession. The Buckeyes did manage to score the game's final five
goals, including a final score with one second left on the clock,
but the outcome have long been decided in Penn State's favor.
