10 I MONDAY, OCT. 4, 2010 Lady Ruggers beat West Chester in conference debut By Andrew Pogorzelskl FOR THE COLLEGIAN In their inaugural debut in the East Penn Rugby Union, the top ranked Penn ,State Lady Ruggers dominated West Chester Univers- WOMEN'S ity, 39-8, in their first road match of RUGBY the fall season. After testing a combination of lineups for the first two matches, coach Pete Steinberg started what he thought was the best lineup the team has leers sweep opening series vs. Pittsburgh over weekend By Anthony Barton COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER The Penn State Icers set out to win their first two games in their season-opening series in Pittsbur:h this weekend and ICERS accomplished just The Icers finished their week end Saturday provided a tough test, as they clung to a one-goal, third period lead to preserve a 5-4 victory. Senior forward and captain Marek Polidor scored the decisive goal on the powerplay with 7:44 left in the third period. The Icers had an easier time Friday, with a 5-1 win over the Field Hockey From Page 8. in the Big Ten in goals with 11 and has already surpassed her goal total of eight from last year. The Lions (8-3, 2-1 Big Ten) got the scoring started just 1:04 into the con test when Amy drove into the crease and knocked the ball just past the Monmouth goalkeeper to give Penn State the 1-0 lead. It didn't take long for the No. 15 Nittany Lions to find the back of the cage again when Amy scored on a breakaway goal off a nifty pass from freshman forward Brittany Grzywacz. It was barely three minutes into the game and the Lions found them selves up by two, putting the Hawks on their heels. After senior defenseman Daneen Zug scored on a penalty corner to give the Lions a commanding 3-0 lead, Amy scored again on a break away from another sharp pass from Grzywacz to put Penn State up by four. Although Amy single-handedly Sweep From Page 8. for much of the first two sets caus ing 15 tied scores. However, Lions senior Blair Brown said Penn State limited Michigan's scoring runs, which put the team in position to win each set. Senior Cathy Quilico was a factor at the end of the opening two sets. Her serving helped propel late Penn State runs and led to set points in each set. In addition to her reliable serving, the 5-foot-1 defensive specialist led the team with 12 digs. Freshman Deja McClendon who led the team with 14 kills and tal lied 10 digs said Quilico's experi ence and quickness help her on defense. "You just watch her, she's on the ground then over there and over here," McClendon said. "I'm just watching her seeing the hitters. She knows where it's going to go." Michigan From Page 8. The resulting foul gave the Lions a penalty kick, which junior forward Corey Hertzog buried to tie the game. That score held until the Wolverines broke the tie in the 76th minute. Casais said Michigan's left back sent a long ball down the field which he tried to challenge, but stepped up too far Wolverines forward Justin Meram received the pass and beat Lion goal keeper Warren Gross who had hesi- used all season. Despite a quick try early in the first half, the noon start for their first road tilt seemed to rattle the Lady Ruggers early. "It was an early start for us in the morning and I think we strug gled a little bit at the start," Steinberg said. "We are also mixing and match ing positions so that makes it diffi cult. It was our first away game this season and we need to learn how to prepare." But those setbacks did not halt the Lady Ruggers' during their Panthers on the strength of two goals by senior forward Chris Pronehik. Senior goalie Teddy Hume also had a solid game, stopping nine of the 10 shots he faced in Pittsburgh's limited opportunities. Polidor said though the scores didn't show it, the Icers played bet ter in the second game. "There were a lot of positives to take from this weekend," Polidor said. "I think it's a good base to start from and overall I think it went pretty well." There was an immense shot discrepancy between the games, with the Panthers getting only 10 shots on Hume on Friday, but were able to more than double gave the Lions enough goals to win, she attributed much of her and the team's success to the tremendous outlet passing from the each of the forwards, midfielders and defensive backs. "[Passing] was really good today," Amy said. "Coming out of a win yes terday we had a lot of confidence going into today. After we scored a few goals we settled down a little and got into more of a passing game and worked on more fundamental things." Coach Char Morett said transfer ring of the ball was one aspect of the game the Nittany Lions had been working on all week in practice. They had been struggling coming into the weekend with hitting for wards on the run, but making that perfect outlet pass was no problem this weekend. And although the scoresheet said it was Amy who was the major contrib utor on offense, Morett gave much of the credit to the tremendous passing from Grzywacz. "I think Britt Grzywacz is a great passer." Morett said. "She really knows her passing out "I have complete confidence in all the hitters on this team. They can set all the hitters and I think they'll put it down." The Lions' offense caused prob lems for the Wolverines throughout the match, as well. Penn State coach Russ Rose said his team did a good job of avoiding Michigan's blockers and hitting tacti cal shots. Brown, who finished with 13 kills, carried the offensive load in the first set with 19 total attacks. As the match continued, the Lions played with a more balanced attack on the floor, which was fine with Brown. "I have complete confidence in all the hitters on this team," Brown said. "They can set all the hitters and I think they'll put it down." Penn State opened up a comfort- tated briefly trying to intercept the ball. But the Lions almost had the last say. After Soony Saad went out, the Lions won a corner kick that gave redshirt senior Andy Parr a crack on goal that got saved in the final sec onds. "It could have been a momentum change, we had all the momentum going with us," Casais said. "We had a silly goal against at a bad time but we could have easily gotten out of it." While the Lions were disappointed by the result and wanted more, they know they had a chance in this game. SPORTS first half onslaught of their instate rivals. The Lady Ruggers wasted no time applying pressure on their opponents as Lisa Henneman converted an early try to put them up 5-0. West Chester's Megan Lamm then converted on a penalty kick to put the Golden Rams within two. The remainder of the first half would belong to Penn State, as junior captain Sadie Anderson went on to score three tries along with an added try from freshman Brie Barto. The Lady Ruggers that total with 25 on Saturday. Hume attributed the difference to an improvement in the Panthers' play on Saturday rather than any lapse by the Icers. Junior forward and assistant captain Paul Daley agreed. "Friday, they were with us for awhile but I think they kind of ran out of gas at the end," Daley said. "I think we were in a little better shape. Saturday though they had some big plays that kind of gave them a little momentum. They definitely came out harder Saturday" The leers' special teams was stellar on both sides, with the pow erplay going a combined 3-for-7 and the team allowing only one goal on 11 short-handed chances "Coming out of a win yesterday we had a lot of confidence going into today." there, she just really does a nice job with her pace of passing and her placement of passing so I think Britt deserves a lot of credit for setting some of the [goals] up." And even with the 7-2 blowout, Morett said there will always be aspects of the game the Lions need to improve on. But Morett was still very pleased with the way her players controlled the game from the beginning, espe cially against a quality Monmouth team. "They're 7-1 coming in, they beat Temple yesterday 5-2, I mean, so they play really aggressively," Morett said. "I think just our ball control and a lit tle bit of speed was the difference." able lead in the third set as Brown, McClendon and Wilson had success hitting. The Lions never trailed in the final set, as they secured the sweep of the Wolverines. Rosen believes the Lions, who swept Michigan State Friday, are at their best when they show the ability to set multiple hitters with suc cess. "You have that double, triple threat," Rosen said. "It makes you hard to defend because you've got to pick your poi son a little a bit, and that's what makes them good." "Soccer's crazy, anything could happen." "We got back on track and we could have won that game, we had some chances," Braga said. "It's soccer. Soccer's crazy, anything could hap pen." Kelsey Amy sophomore forward To e-mail reporter: jrms4ol@psu.edu Blair Brown senior middle hitter To e-mail reporter: rmlsl3B@psu.edu Matheus Braga senior midfielder To e-mail reporter: adrso79@psu.edu jumped out to a 27-3 halftime lead "In the first half we did a great job on defense. We kicked well and forced West Chester to play out of our half," Steinberg said of the Lady Ruggers' first-half pressure. "We were able to turn our defen sive pressure into points early on." As the second half commenced, West Chester refused to go away. Freshman Cheryl Johnson con verted on a try 11 minutes into the second half to pull them closer. The Golden Rams had new life as they successfully kept Penn State out of its try zone for 10 minutes. during the two games. While the penalty kill was solid, Polidor said the amount of penal ties the Jeers took was a little alarming and he hopes it isn't a reoccurring problem from last season. Daley attributed the penalties to the team's anxiousness to get the season underway. "I think we just had some pre game jitters," Daley said. - We were doing a little too much with the sticks and at the same time it was a little chaotic because we aren't really settled into our sys tems just yet." Polidor said getting a win in the hard-fought second game left the team with some confidence mov ing forward. Slay From Page 8. No. 4 Penn State's sweep of the Wolverines at Rec Hall. Slay got the nod in favor of 6-foot-3 senior middle hitter Fatima Balza, as the Lions were looking for ways to con tain Michigan's dynamic duo: All-American setter Lexi Zimmerman and potent offensive threat Alex Hunt. "Michigan's really big in the middle and we wanted to counter-act size with size," Penn State coach Russ Rose said of his decision to start Slay, the tallest player on the Lions' roster. "We saw a little bit [Friday against Michigan State] at times Fatimage, ,•• -- people play higher than she blocks and plays. I thought that [Slay] would give us some opportunities to block Hunt out of the back row with a little bit more size above the net.- On 40 total attempts, Hunt recorded only 13 kills. Slay, meanwhile, posted five blocks as the Lions racked up 12 tying their fourth-highest total of the season. But on top of that, Slay received praise from her team mates for looking comfortable on the court, a consistent defensive presence against a formidable conference foe. "She comes in and we don't skip a beat," said Brown, a senior co-captain. - We know she's going to be good in there and she's going to be solid at the net." For Slay, the confidence came from experience. Her first career start was Sept. 11 against now-No. 1 Stanford the match that snapped Penn State's record-breaking 109- match winning streak. "That didn't go so well, - Slay said with a laugh. In that match, she didn't record a single block. "So I was glad to get a little redemption." The Lions were glad, too. Brown said Slay has a positive impact for the Lions, something the team can depend on. "Every time I come into the game I'm trying to help the team and what I can do for the team," Slay said. "Coach always says, 'Focus on what you're put out there to do,' and I was put out there to block." Miscues From Page 8 chances as the wind affected each squad. Most shots were either just off the mark or knocked away by defenders and neither team was able to capitalize on its breaks. "We just need to get better in our attack and really focus on keeping the ball," coach Erica Walsh said. "The players got wrapped up a little too much in what Ohio State was trying to do." Walsh added she knows her players are good enough on the ball that they can make the other teams work but she wants to see them display the courage to do it. And though the loss puts the Lions at 1-1 in the confer ence, they were pleased with how certain aspects of the game went. "Overall I think it was a good that could have gone either way and we got a little bit unlucky" Walsh said. Medic 1 '<,':, -:0 5C110014 ,- -.:f 1 .CIA THE DAILY COLLEGIAN West Chester's fiery defense did not last, however, as Henneman scored her second and third tries of the match to finish the Golden Rams as Penn State rolled to its first victory in its new conference. "I think it was a good start to our league game, but we have a lot of work to do," Steinberg said. "West Chester kicked a lot and we struggled to counter attack from that appropriately and that is something to work on. Our offense did not have great support and shape and that is something we need to improve." "Friday, they were with us for awhile but I think they kind of ran out of gas at the end." "Especially in the second game, they just kept coming at us," Polidor said. - When you run into a team like that. I think it's a great sign that we found a way to win because good teams always do.- To e-mail reporter: acbsls2@psu.edu To e-mail reporter: exkso49@psu.edu To e-mail reporter: adal47@psu.edu i The Paper Plale Many great candidates are applying to medical school every year, and the numbers are rising. In this competitive field, Pre Med Assistance can help you stand out among the candidates applying to the EEO schools that are the best fit for you. From school selection and application reviews, to mock interviews and Med analysis, Pre Med Assistance is the ASSISTANCE complete resource for the pre med student. ce.com Paul Daley junior forward dining guide po..vcd by SYclollege (am
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