Field Hockey Game Notes[pdf format]

This Week: #15 Penn State record: (2-3)
Game 6 - Sept. 26 at Temple, 3:30 p.m.
at Geasey Field (1000), Philadelphia, Pa.
Owls' Record: 4-3
Series Record: PSU leads, 21-6-2
Last Mtg: W, 7-2, 10/4/00

Lions Look to Improve on Record: The Nittany Lions are looking to turn things around in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Penn State has not started 2-3 on the season since 1996, when the Penn State went on to win its second Big Ten Tournament title. Both teams are looking for wins as Penn State is coming off of a loss to Ohio State (2-1) and the Owls are on a three-game losing skid. Penn State has not lost to Temple in the last five meetings, and has only lost once in the last 15 meetings.

Scouting TU: Temple enters the contest with a 4-3 record overall and received 18 votes in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll. The Owls opened the season on a four-game win streak, tallying at least two goals in each contest. One of those wins came over No. 13-ranked William & Mary (4-3). But the Owls are on a three-game skid now, recording just one goal in each of those games. Joann Engestrom leads the team with four goals and nine points. Both Andrea Duva and Juliann Leskiw have notched three goals apiece. Haley Dervinis leads the squad with four assists. April Herman is the primary netminder, playing all but six minutes this season. She carries a 2.81 goals against average and an .811 save percentage.

PSU vs. TU: The Lions are looking forward to their 30th all-time meeting against the Owls. Penn State holds a 21-6-2 advantage over the Owls. The last loss to Temple came in 1995, but since then, PSU has been on a five-game win streak, scoring no fewer than two goals in those contests and as many as 10. In the last five meetings. the Lions have tallied 7, 2, 10, 7 and 7 goals. This series dates back to 1977.

Tough Slate: The Nittany Lions have scheduled a tough slate, as usual. Seven of the top 10 schools in the NFHCA Coaches Poll. Penn State opened the season with No. 2 North Carolina and followed up with a contest in Norfolk, Va., against No. 3-ranked and defending national champion Old Dominion. Big Ten Champion Michigan is the highest-ranked Big Ten school at No. 4, followed by Princeton and Michigan State. The Tigers knocked the Lions out of the NCAA Tournament last year, 4-1, while the Spartans, who picked up a couple of solid wins early in the season comes to Bigler Field this weekend. No. 7 Wake Forest will clash with Penn State for the first time ever on Sept. 30, while No. 9 Ohio State handed the Lions a 2-1 loss in PSU's Big Ten opener. Three more Penn State opponents appear in the top 20 of the national poll: #16 Iowa, #17 James Madison and #19 Connecticut.