2022 PENN STATE WOMEN'S LACROSSE Head coach Missy Doherty is set for her 12th year at Penn State in 2022. Doherty’s guidance has seen Penn State reach seven NCAA Tournaments and four NCAA Quarterfinals in that timespan, including Penn State’s first National Semifinal appearance in 17 years during the 2016 season. Doherty guided the Nittany Lions back to the National Semifinal in 2017. In Doherty’s 11th season at the helm of the Nittany Lions in 2021, the team competed through a 12-game slate, all against Big Ten opponents, finishing with three wins over top-20 teams (No. 7 Maryland, No. 13 Michigan, No. 9 Maryland).
2022 NITTANY LIONS COACHING STAFF
The Blue and White finished second in Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 12.77 goals per game. Freshmen (true or second-year) accounted for 85 of Penn State’s 166 goals (51%), 46-of-71 assists (65%) and 131-of-237 points (55%). Sophomore Olivia Dirks led the Big Ten and ranked 19th in the country averaging 6.0 draw controls per game.
MISSY DOHERTY HEAD COACH 12th Season Maryland ’97
Overall Record:
199-122 (18 seasons)
Penn State Record: 120-76 (11 seasons)
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ACCOLADES
2015 Big Ten Coach of the Year 2015 ECAC Coach of the Year 2015 IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year
2004 CAA Coach of the Year
YEAR-BY-YEAR
At Towson: 2004 14-4 (6-1) 2005 13-6 (5-2) 2006 7-10 (4-3) 2007 6-9 (3-4) 2008 13-6 (5-2) 2009 13-6 (5-2) 2010 13-5 (6-1) Total at TU 79-46 (34-15) At Penn State: 2011 10-8 (3-2) 2012 12-7 (3-2) 2013 14-7 (4-1) 2014 10-8 (3-3) 2015 16-5 (3-2) 2016 14-7 (3-2) 2017 17-4 (5-1) 2018 10-10 (3-3) 2019 8-9 (3-3) 2020 5-2 (0-0) 2021 4-9 (4-8) Total at PSU 120-76 (34-27) Total 199-122 (68-42)
Four players were awarded All-Big Ten honors with Dirks picking up conference Midfielder of the Year and Kristin O’Neill earning Freshman of the Year. Maria Auth and Dirks were also lauded with all-region honors. Dirks capped off the season with three All-American honors, including a first team designation by the IWLCA. Doherty led the Nittany Lions to a 5-2 record in 2020 before the season was canceled on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nittany Lions began the season with four straight wins, defeating Towson (12-9), Lehigh (13-9), Duquesne (20-6) and Cornell (19-9). Penn State finished the season with a 14-13 victory at Vanderbilt. The Nittany Lions were very strong on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the nation and leading the Big Ten in save percentage (.531). Penn State was also 23rd in the country in caused turnovers per game with 10.0. The defense was led by sophomore goalie Taylor Suplee, who earned honorable-mention All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse. Suplee led the Big Ten and ranked second in the nation averaging 12.43 saves per game. On the offensive end, the Nittany Lions averaged 13.71 goals per game, good for third in the Big Ten. Penn State was also third in the conference averaging 5.29 assists per game. The Nittany Lions ranked 18th in the nation in shot percentage (.480) and 14th in the country in free position percentage (.544). In 2019, the Nittany Lions went 8-9, including a 3-3 mark in Big Ten play, and reached the Big Ten semifinals. Penn State earned wins over No. 11 Towson and No. 21 Johns Hopkins. The Nittany Lions won four of their final six games of the regular season. Penn State played its first season in Panzer Stadium, opening the venue with a 15-5 win over Lehigh. The Nittany Lions won five games at home, including victories against Towson (13-7), Lehigh (15-5), Albany (11-9), Ohio State (21-5) and Rutgers (18-7). Three Nittany Lions earned All-Big Ten honors, including junior Maria Auth and seniors Kayla Brisolari and Reilly Masterson. Brisolari and Masterson collected IWLCA All-Region selections. Brisolari was selected for the IWLCA Senior All-Star Game and was drafted No. 12 overall in the WPLL Draft by the WPLL Brave. Brisolari led the Big Ten with 1.53 caused turnovers per game. Auth led the Nittany Lions with 46 points (32 goals, 14 assists), while junior Quinn Nicolai led the squad with 34 goals. Brisolari added 31 goals, while pacing PSU with 37 ground balls, 73 draw controls and 26 caused turnovers. Freshman Taylor Suplee ranked second in the Big Ten in saves per game (9.71), third in saves (165) and third in save percentage (.481). In 2018, Doherty led her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance for the seventhstraight year. The Nittany Lions went 10-10 and reached the Big Ten Championship game. Penn State went 3-3 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions knocked off four ranked opponents, including No. 17 Cornell, No. 22 Johns Hopkins, No. 6 Virginia and No. 7 Northwestern. The Nittany Lions tied the team record with 303 goals in 2018. Three Nittany Lions earned IWLCA All-America honors, including senior Katie O’Donnell (first team), junior Madison Carter (second team) and Kayla Brisolari (third team). O’Donnell was a second-team All-America selection by Inside Lacrosse and was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, the first in program history, before being drafted fourth overall by the New England Command in the WPLL Draft. O’Donnell finished her career fourth all-time at Penn State in goals (203) and sixth in points (227). Carter and Brisolari joined O’Donnell as All-Big Ten and IWLCA All-Region selections. In 2017, Doherty’s team went 17-4, finishing second in the Big Ten and securing the second-most victories in program history and the most since 1989 when Penn State went 19-1. Doherty coached three IWLCA All-Americans during the 2017 season including the program’s 43rd first-team All-American, Steph Lazo, and the first in 13 seasons. O’Donnell and Carter earned second-team recognition. The Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second-straight season, making back-to-back appearances for the first time since a three-year span from 1995-97, and captured the program’s most wins since 1999. The Nittany Lions set program records for goals with 303 and points with 427 while their 124 assists were the second-most in a single season in program history. Penn
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