Carey Maser was voted captain of the 2006 Nittany Lions along with fellow senior-to-be Annelise Legel. The duo will lead the team in defending its 2005 Big Ten Championship.

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA; June 25, 2006 - The Penn State field hockey team has announced its 2006 schedule. The highly-competitive lineup features seven NCAA tournament participants; Old Dominion, Connecticut, Princeton, Michigan, Ohio State, North Carolina and Indiana.

The Nittany Lions open the season at home on Astroturf Field with two home games against perennial powerhouse Old Dominion on Aug. 26 and Ohio on Aug. 28.

Penn State will then go on a three-game road trip to play at Lock Haven (Aug. 31), Northeastern (Sept. 2) and Connecticut (Sept. 3).

Penn State will play host to four other non-conference opponents, including Princeton (Sept. 6), Temple (Sept. 13), Lafayette (Sept. 15), Penn (Sept. 20) and North Carolina (Oct. 13). The Lions will also travel to West Chester (Sept. 17) and Syracuse (Sept. 27).

Penn State will begin the defense of its Big Ten regular season crown at Michigan State on Sept. 23. The team will then take on Michigan at home on Sept. 29. The next two Big Ten games are on the road at Ohio State (Oct. 7) and Northwestern (Oct. 20). The Lions finish the season at home with games against Iowa (Oct. 27) and Indiana (Oct. 29).

The Lions also welcome back former goalkeeper Annie Zinkavich, who is returning for her first year as assistant coach under Char Morett. Zinkavich was a three-time All-Mideast selection and was the defensive anchor of the 2002 squad that advanced to the national championship game. A six-time Big Ten player of the week, she recorded 22 shutouts in her career, which ranks fifth all-time in program history.

Penn State went 17-4 last season, including a program-record 17-game win streak and a Big Ten regular season crown. The Lions bring back six starters, including their two leading scorers, Annelise Legel (Morgantown, Pa.) and Shaun Banta (Gibbsboro, N.J.). Kiersten Wood (Lititz, Pa.) returns as the team's most decorated player. The midfielder was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten choice and first team All-Mideast region selection and also picked up third team All-America honors.

Head Coach Char Morett returns for her 20th season at Penn State. She has a 347-124-16 record in her 23-year career and earned her 300th win as Nittany Lion coach last season. She was named the 2005 Big Ten Coach of the Year and the Mideast Region Coach of the Year after her team's Big Ten championship run. Morett also announced that the captains of the 2006 squad will be seniors Carey Maser (Medford, N.J.) and Annelise Legel. Maser will be the anchor of the Penn State defense and Legel will be a top scoring threat for the team.

"The players selected two outstanding captains to reflect the mission of the team," said Morett. "Their ability to work hard and to keep focus on the goals of the season will provide the leadership we need to be successful."

2006 Field Hockey Schedule

 August Sat. 26 Old Dominion University Park, Pa. 1:00 p.m. Mon. 28 Ohio University Park, Pa. 1:00 p.m. Thurs. 31 at Lock Haven Lock Haven, Pa. 7:00 p.m. September Sat. 2 vs. Northeastern Storrs, Conn. 12:00 p.m. Sun. 3 at Connecticut Storrs, Conn. 12:00 p.m. Wed. 6 Princeton University Park, Pa. 6:00 p.m. Wed. 13 Temple University Park, Pa. 4:00 p.m. Fri. 15 Lafayette University Park, Pa. 6:00 p.m. Sun. 17 at West Chester West Chester, Pa. 2:00 p.m. Wed. 20 Penn University Park, Pa. 6:00 p.m. Sat. 23 at Michigan State East Lansing, Mich. 1:00 p.m. Wed. 27 Syracuse Syracuse, N.Y. 4:00 p.m. Fri. 29 Michigan University Park, Pa. 6:00 p.m. October Sat. 7 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio TBA Fri. 13 North Carolina University Park, Pa. 5:00 p.m. Fri. 20 at Northwestern Evanston, Ill. 3:00 p.m. Fri. 27 Iowa University Park, Pa. 5:00 p.m. Sun. 29 Indiana University Park, Pa. 12:00 p.m.