Both are about the same height, leveling out at 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-6, respectively. Both have blond hair and play on the front line of the No. 7 Penn State field hockey team. This, however, is where the similarities end between junior Shaun Banta and sophomore Allison Scola.

On the field, Banta and Scola are different, these differences have added new aspects to the attack of the Nittany Lions and caused havoc on opposing teams' defense.

"They both have speed, but Shaun uses her speed more than Allie," Penn State coach Char Morett said. "They both have very good stick work, but Allie uses her stick work more than Shaun."

Banta came to Penn State after scoring 135 goals in high school, fourth best in New Jersey history. Scola spent the past two summers training with the U.S. Under-21 team and is the all-time leading scorer at her high school. With statistics such as these, expectations were high for these two forwards, but both have dealt with them and performed accordingly.

In the team's 14 games this year, the two forwards have combined to score half of the team's 44 goals. Banta is No. 1 on the team with 13 goals and Scola is right behind her with nine.

Banta had her breakout season last year, scoring a career-high 17 goals, which was also a team high. Despite being four scores shy of tying this mark, Banta has not been able to put the ball in the goal.

"I think I need to score, but other people are getting it done, so that's extremely important," Banta said. "I'm glad that Allie got her three goals and Annelise [Legel] has been scoring."

In her scoring drought, Scola and other members have picked up the offense. Weisen and Long were the only offense in the Lions' win over North Carolina. Against Northwestern this past Friday, Scola recorded her first hat trick, scoring all three Penn State goals.

This season has definitely been the breakout season for Scola. Last year, she scored five goals with no assists. This year she has nine goals, eight assists and is on a 10-game point-scoring streak.

"My confidence level has drastically changed," Scola said. "Coming in as a freshman, obviously it's a big jump from high school. This year I'm a lot more comfortable with myself, so it's just helped with my play a lot better."

With each forward comfortable in their respective positions, they are constantly working off each other during games. Both always have scoring on their minds and look to each other for passes or shots."We know how each other play," Banta said.

"We understand where each other are going to be on the field and we can work off each other. It is just very easy to play with her."

Despite Banta's scoring drought, she is still a constant threat in front. With Scola finding the back of the goal, Penn State can look to both of them for its offense. The next two games are crucial in the outcome of this year's Big Ten title and the Lions will need both forwards to secure victories.

"I've definitely seen their level of play take another step and we are definitely going to need them this time of year," Morett said.