The Nittany Lions are in action this weekend -- and not just on the gridiron, where Penn State is set to take on Illinois.
The school's No. 6-ranked field hockey team has a pair of Big Ten games on tap at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex, and it will have a shot to solidify its conference standing starting with a Friday night showdown with No. 8 Michigan.
With a 5-2 season record and 1-0 Big Ten mark, Penn State will get a clean shot at upping its national position with this weekend's competition, and it begins against the Wolverines (5-3, 1-0), who last routed Central Michigan 9-0 on Saturday. Led by senior Aurelia Meijer and freshman Anna Simon, who have combined for 18 points and seven goals, plus keeper Jenny Rizzo, who has four shutouts in seven games, the Nittany Lions are sixth in the NFHCA Coaches Poll and are coming off a 2-0 weekend against top-25 opponents in Ohio State and Boston University.
Michigan, which precedes Michigan State in this weekend's slate of Big Ten matchups for Penn State, is headlined by Emma Way, who has racked up 22 points and 10 goals in just eight games. The Wolverines are ranked eighth in the Coaches Poll and have won two straight, taking a 3-1 decision over Rutgers last Friday before their blowout of Central Michigan.
Here's how to tune in for Friday's clash between the two sides:
How to watch
Date: Friday, Sept. 21
Location: Penn State Field Hockey Complex (University Park, Pennsylvania)
Time: 6 p.m. Eastern
Stream: SportsLive
