Northwestern
5-0
Penn State
2-2
'Cats Remain Undefeated with Sweep of Penn State
3/13/2021 4:24:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Wildcats completed a successful sweep of No. 5 Penn State on Sunday with a 17-13 victory.
Senior Lauren Gilbert led the Northwestern offensive effort once again with six goals, going five of five in free positions. Graduate student Lindsey McKone followed with four goals while graduate student Sammy Mueller, junior Izzy Scane and first-year Leah Holmes each chipped in two apiece.
Northwestern had a strong defensive effort, causing a total of sixteen turnovers while Penn State only caused six. The 'Cats also picked up an impressive 27 ground balls, holding the Nittany Lions to just eight. Senior Ally Palermo and junior Allie Berkery led the defense posting four ground balls and causing three turnovers respectively.
The 'Cats got off to an early lead with goals from first-year Leah Holmes and senior Taylor Pinzone. Penn State grabbed a goal of their own to keep it competitive, but the Wildcats quickly rattled off a 3-0 run to force a timeout. Defensive stops from the Wildcats ran out the clock for the Nittany Lions before they could muster a meaningful response. Northwestern went into the final half with a solid four point lead.
Gilbert started the second half with her third successful free-position attempt to spur another short three point run. The teams traded points for most of the half, but with just fifteen minutes left the Nittany Lions found a four point run to cut the Wildcat lead in half. Graduate student Sammy Mueller slammed a free-position attempt home to put a stop to Penn State's offensive drive, sparking another run for the Wildcats and putting the game out of reach for the Nittany Lions.
Northwestern will head to New Jersey for a weekend double-header against the Scarlet Knights. The match-ups are set for Friday and Sunday, game times are TBA.
