Madison Carter scored three goals in Penn State’s 14-12 NCAA quarterfinal victory Sunday over Princeton. But it was the sophomore’s handiwork in the center circle that made the biggest difference in sending the Nittany Lions back to the final four.
Carter tipped the back-and-forth game in Penn State’s favor by winning six straight second-half draws, finishing with a career high-tying 12 draw controls (nine in the second half) to earn Epoch/US Lacrosse Player of the Week honors.
"It provides a lot of momentum. You need the ball to be able to do things on offense," Carter said. "The girls on the line were coming and helping out, the girls in the circle were boxing out, and we were just able to come up with those possessions, which was great and really kept the momentum going."
Carter leads the Nittany Lions with 69 goals and 123 draw controls this season. Sunday marked her second straight game with 12 draw controls. She accomplished the feat in an NCAA tournament second-round win over James Madison the previous Sunday, adding six goals and two assists in that contest.