Denis Smirnov's three-point night powered the Nittany Lions to a dominant victory over Alaska-Fairbanks.
Coach Pat Chambers expects his three returning sophomores to step up this year to fill the gaps left by Rasir Bolton and Josh Reaves.
The junior scored seven goals for the Nittany Lions as a center forward last season. But head coach Erica Dambach has dropped her into midfield this year, where she's more likely to start Penn State's attacks than she is to finish them.
One additional player might have made the difference in some of Penn State basketball's close losses last season, especially if that one player was an extremely athletic guard who plays great defense and has NCAA Tournament experience.
Tori Gorrell has played an instrumental role in guiding Penn State's 15 underclassmen through the early parts of Big Ten play.
The Nittany Lions weathered an early attacking storm and scored three mid-match goals to secure a 3-1 win over the Panthers.