During the Nittany Lions' 15-7 win against Vanderbilt on Saturday, senior goaltender Lee Tortorelli broke the Penn State women's lacrosse career saves record. You wouldn't know it from watching or even talking to her.

"I'm just excited about the 'W,' " Tortorelli said after No. 17 Penn State beat defending American Lacrosse Conference champion Vanderbilt in its season opener.

"That's all we came here wanting to do. I don't care anything about the saves, whatever. We won and that's what matters."

Though Tortorelli, a preseason Inside Lacrosse All-American, may ignore the record 615 career saves, eight of which came on Saturday, her teammates certainly recognized the accomplishment. After all, Tortorelli became the career saves leader not in one of the final games of her Penn State career, but in the first game of her senior season.

"At the end [of the game], when we were in the huddle ... we were like, 'Yeah great job, Tort,' and she said, 'Sure, all right, I'm just glad we got the W,' " senior midfield Emily Chambers said.

"That just shows you exactly how she plays."

The unselfish attitude Tortorelli brings to the crease makes those around her better, Penn State coach Suzanne Isidor said.

"The team has so much confidence in her. It allows the defense to take more risks," Isidor said.

"Everybody just has so much confidence that if they do their job, and even if they slip up once or twice, that Tort is back there to save them."

And save, Tortorelli has. En route to her 615 career stops, the four-year starter has set a Penn State single-season saves record during each of the past three seasons.

Tortorelli had 189 saves as a freshman, 199 as a sophomore and 219 as a junior last season when she won the C. Markland Kelly Award, an honor handed out annually to the best goaltender
in Division I women's lacrosse.

"Since she's stepped foot on this campus, she's been the leader," Isidor said.

This season, Tortorelli will look to lead the Lions into the NCAA tournament, a place where she has never played, a place into which Vanderbilt went deep last season, reaching the Final Four.

So how does it feel starting the season off with a win against the No. 15 Commodores?

"Sick, it's great, it's amazing," Tortorelli said. "But we've just got to keep our heads up, get psyched for the next game and not let it get to our heads."

You can bet Tortorelli won't let the victory or a career saves record get to hers.