No. 19 Michigan Heads to Penn State for B1G Road Contest

THIS WEEK
Saturday, April 16 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 1 p.m.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 19 University of Michigan (9-5, 1-3 B1G) women's lacrosse team makes a road trip to State College, Pa. Saturday (April 16) where it will take on Penn State University (6-6, 0-3 B1G) at 1 p.m. on B1G+.

Wolverine Bites

• Michigan moves to No. 19 in the IL/IWLCA rankings and holds a 9-5 record and a 1-3 record in Big Ten Conference play as it hits the road to take on Penn State.

• The Wolverines are outscoring opponents 174-121 and are average 28.1 shots a game compared to opponents 25.0 shots per game.

• With U-M sitting out two offensive players due to injury, the Wolverine bench has had to step up in the last two games. Junior Claire Galvin and freshman Jill Smith did just that against Ohio State as the duo recorded five combined points. Galvin notched her second career hat trick and Smith added two goals.

• Senior Kaley Thompson has recorded at least two goals in 10 of Michigan's 14 games this season, including a hat trick on five occasions.

• Senior Kaitlyn Mead won nine draw controls against No. 17 USC, which ranks second in Michigan women's lacrosse single-game history and is the most since Maggie Kane had 10 draw control wins in 2018. This season, Mead leads the U-M draw with 54 wins, including six games with five or more draw control wins.

Opponent Preview

Penn State
Michigan trails the all-time series 3-5

U-M trails the all-time series against Penn State 3-5, but has won three of the last four meetings starting with its first-ever win over a ranked opponent in 2018. Furthermore, two of Michigan's wins have been in State College.

The Nittany Lions are 6-6 overall this season and 0-3 in Big Ten Conference play having played Ohio State, No. 3 Northwestern and No. 9 Maryland. Penn State is outscoring its opponents 150-130 and averages 31.2 shots per game, while the defense is keeping opponents to 25.3 shots per game.

Kristin O'Neill paces the offense with 38 points (30 goals. 8 assists) and ranks second on the draw control with 31 wins. Taylor Regan also has 30+ points this season with 24 goals and 10 assists. Kayla Abernathy is the Nittany Lion leader on the draw control with 52 wins. Defensively, O'Neill has a team-best 18 caused turnovers and Rachel Spilker has 11. In the cage, Ashley Bowan has started 10 games with 65 saves and carries a .411 save percentage.

Up Next

• Saturday, April 30 -- Maryland (U-M Lacrosse Stadium), Noon