Penn State junior midfielder Heather Conroy is an offensive machine.
Her 13 goals in nine games are tops in the Big Ten and good enough for second in the nation. And her 28 points lead the conference and are tied for third in the country.
Conroy has four multi-goal games and has scored in all but two of the No. 6 Nittany Lions’ matches this season.
And she’s not the only Penn State player basking in the national spotlight.
Junior midfielder Timarie Legel is also among the Big Ten leaders in goals, while senior back Jill Martz is among the national leaders in assists.
But big names don’t scare Northwestern.
“When I’m out there playing and knocking people down, it doesn’t matter who it is,” freshman midfielder Holly Palin said.
Senior back Lindsey Millard agreed.
“We don’t concern ourselves with names,” Millard said. “We aim to beat the team, not a certain player. We don’t play man-to-man anyways, so we don’t care about the names.”
Whatever defense the Wildcats (4-5, 0-1 Big Ten) use against the speedy Lions (8-1, 1-1) at Lakeside Field this Saturday, it will be without senior back Juli Fomenko. Fomenko sustained a concussion early in a 4-1 loss to Iowa Saturday.
“I’m going to miss her a lot,” Millard said. “She’s my partner at the back, and we work really well together. But we have people here who can fill in for her nicely.”
The Cats will have to play one of their best defensive games of the year, as Penn State’s potent offense has blown many teams out of the water.
In Penn State’s most recent triumph, Conroy scored a hat trick as the team beat Indiana, 6-1.
“We definitely have to control their speed,” senior forward Michelle Cifelli said. “We also have to take it to them right away and apply immediate pressure.”
A strong start will be pivotal for the Cats, who gave up an early goal to Iowa last week. In each of NU’s first nine games, the team that scored the opening goal went on to win the match.
But it will take more than a goal to topple Penn State, which has lost one match all year — to No. 4 Michigan. It will be especially tough for the Cats because Penn State has dominated NU since the teams’ first meeting in 1992, with the Lions leading the series 15-3-1. Last year, Penn State downed the Cats, 5-1, at State College, Pa.
“We want to beat them so badly,” Palin said. “Especially since the seniors have never beaten them, and this might be their last chance.”
One of those seniors, Cifelli, has another bone to pick with Penn State.
“They’re one of the worst teams to play because of their fans,” she said. “I hate their fans so much.”
Cifelli won’t have to worry about boisterous Penn State fans for this Saturday’s matchup on NU’s home turf.
“Home field is just so huge for us because we feel so stable,” Millard said. “The pressure is all on them to come in here and win, and at the same time, we’re going in with a nothing-to-lose attitude. We have a great chance to beat them.”
No. 6 Penn State (8-1, 1-1 Big Ten)
at NU (4-5, 0-1)
1 p.m., Saturday
Lakeside Field