| John Eremus and the rest of the Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team will hit the road for two games this week. Penn State battles Dartmouth on Wednesday at St. Paul's School in Baltimore before visiting Ohio State on Saturday." |
Complete Game Notes
The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team, receiving votes in the latest Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, will hit the road for two more games this week. Head coach Glenn Thiel and his squad will battle No. 14 Dartmouth on Wednesday at 12 p.m. The contest will be played at St. Paul's School in Baltimore, Md. The Lions will stay on the road, heading right to Columbus for a game at Ohio State on Saturday at noon.
Penn State enters the game with an 0-2 mark, 0-1 in ECAC Lacrosse League play. The Lions, besieged by injuries thus far in 2006, are coming off a tough 9-6 road loss at Loyola last Saturday in the ECAC opener for both teams.
Penn State is being led by Nate Whitaker, who has 5 points off four goals and an assist. Brian Boyle has six points off one goal and five assists while Greg Gurenlian has seven ground balls and a .400 win percentage in face-offs. Freshman keeper Drew Adams has 35 saves in two games with an 8.50 goals against average. As a team, Penn State is sporting a .152 shooting percentage and is still looking for its first man-up goal (0-6 to date).
Dartmouth, ranked No. 14, will enter Wednesday's game with a 3-0 mark after its 14-12 win over Fairfield on Saturday. Dartmouth also has victories over Vermont and Providence.
Ohio State enters the Saturday game with an 0-3 record. The Buckeyes dropped a 13-8 decision to Hobart on Saturday and have also fallen to Navy and North Carolina.
Having played its first four games on the road, the Nittany Lions will finally host their 2006 home opener on Saturday, March 18, when Stony Brook invades Happy Valley for a 1 p.m. game.
THIS WEEK
Penn State (0-2, 0-1 ECAC) hits the road for two road tilts this week. Penn State faces No. 14 Dartmouth (3-0) on Wednesday at St. Paul's School in Baltimore, Md., at 12 p.m. The Nittany Lions then visit Ohio State (0-3) on Saturday at 12 p.m.
UP NEXT
Penn State will host its home opener on Saturday, March 18, when Stony Brook visits Happy Valley for a 1 p.m. game.
ON THE AIR
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HEAD COACH GLENN THIEL
Glenn Thiel is in his 29th season as head coach of the Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team, having just passed the 200 career Penn State win plateau. Thiel enters the 2006 season tied for first amongst active coaches nationally with 282 career victories.
Thiel is 282-188 overall in his 39th year and 205-152 at Penn State (29th year). Thiel was also head coach at at Baltimore College for two years and Virginia for eight seasons where he won two national titles.
A 1966 Penn State graduate, he was the 1966 team captain and won the Pittenger Award as team most valuable senior. Also in '66, he was selected to play in the North/South All-Star Classic after scoring 27 goals with six assists.
STATE LEADERS/TEAM BREAKDOWN
Goals: Nate Whitaker (4)
Assists: Brian Boyle (5)
Shot % (2 pg): Nate Whitaker (.250)
Ground Balls: Greg Gurenlian, Drew Adams (7)
Face-Off%: Greg Gurenlian (.400)
Penalties: Brian Boyle (2)
Goals Against Avg: Drew Adams (8.50)
Saves: Drew Adams (35)
Team Goals/Per Game: 4.0
Team Goals/Allowed Per Game: 8.5
Team Shot %: .152
Team Shot % Against: .221
Groundballs For-Against: 54-63
Team EMO For: 0-6
Team EMO Against: 2-6
2006 TEAM CAPTAINS
Keith Benjamin, 6-1, 210, Def., Short Hills, N.J./Millburn HS
Greg Gurenlian, Sr., 6-0, 203, MF, Springfield, Pa./Springfield HS
Nate Whitaker, Sr., 5-9, 190 Att., Great Falls, Va./Thomas Jefferson HS
WHITAKER'S SCORING STREAK STILL ALIVE
Senior attackman Nate Whitaker had one goal and one assist vs. Loyola on 3/4/06, pushing his current scoring streak to 44 games. Whitaker has scored in every game he has played in at Penn State. He now had 111 points off 77 goals and 37 assists.
BOYLE NOTCHES FIRST GOAL OF SEASON AT LOYOLA; ADDS TWO ASSISTS
Brian Boyle notched his first goal of the season in Penn State's 9-6 loss at Loyola on 3/4. Boyle also had two assists, giving him a team high five in just two games.
PENN STATE RECEIVING VOTES IN LATEST INSIDE LACROSSE MEDIA POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team, under the guidance of head coach Glenn Thiel, is receiving in the latest Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Nittany Lions fell out of the poll after a tough 9-6 loss at Loyola on 3/4. Maryland (1), Virginia (2), Duke (3), Navy (4) and Princeton (5) comprise the top five. ECAC Lacrosse League leader UMass is No. 9 and is joined by conference brethren Georgetown (10) and Loyola (17) in the top 20. Hobart, Penn State, Fairfield and Rutgers are all receiving votes. In all seven of the conference's eight teams are either ranked or receiving votes.
PENN STATE RECEIVING VOTES IN LATEST INSIDE USILA COACHES POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team, under the guidance of head coach Glenn Thiel, is receiving in the latest USILA Coaches Poll. The Nittany Lions are coming off a tough 9-6 loss at Loyola on 3/4. Maryland (1), Virginia (2), Duke (3), Navy (4) and Princeton (5) comprise the top five. ECAC Lacrosse League leader UMass is No. 7 and is joined by conference brethren Georgetown (10), Hobart (19) and Loyola (20) in the top 20. Penn State, Fairfield and Rutgers are all receiving votes. In all seven of the conference's eight teams are either ranked or receiving votes.
LIONS GO 2-0-1 IN EXHIBITIONS
The Nittany Lion lacrosse team opened up the 2006 exhibition season in fine fashion by going 1-0-1 in exhibitions on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Holuba Hall. Penn State tied No. 1 and defending national champion Johns Hopkins 9-9 thanks to five points from Brian Boyle (1 goal, four assists) and three goals from Matt Radecic. The Lions beat a young Robert Morris team 13-6 behind two-goal games from Chris Mulqueen, Bubba Scott, Kevin Hershner and Mike Toner. Penn State then downed Lehigh 15-6, thanks to four goals from John Eremus and six points (three goals, three assists) from freshman Rob Forster.
BENJAMIN, GURENLIAN AND WHITAKER NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Three talented seniors have been named co-captains of the Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team as announced by veteran head coach Glenn Thiel. Keith Benjamin (Short Hills, N.J.), Greg Gurenlian (Springfield, Pa.) and Nate Whitaker (Great Falls, VA.) will assume captain's duties for the upcoming campaign. Benjamin, a defender, is a three-year letterman and started all 15 games for Penn State last year. He notched 25 ground balls, which was fifth on the team. Gurenlian, middle/face-off middie, was voted team Most Valuable Player last season after leading the team in ground balls with 111 and scoring 12 points off five goals and seven assists. Gurenlian led Penn State in face-off percentage at (.636) and was second on the team in shot percentage (.500). Whitaker, attackman, was a second team All-ECAC pick last season and was once again Penn State's leading scorer in 2005 with 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists. Both goal and assist totals were team bests and his three game-winning goals was tops on the team as well.
THREE NITTANY LIONS EARN PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Three Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse players have been named to the 2006 Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Pre-Season All-America team. Senior Greg Gurenlian (Springfield, Pa.), senior Nate Whitaker (Great Falls, Va.) and junior Pat Heim (Wayne, Pa.) were all listed by the publication.
Gurenlian was named a third-team pre-season All-American as one the face-off specialist. A captain on this year's team, Gurenlian had a .636 face-off percentage last year, winning 194 of 305 attempts. He notched 12 points on five goals and seven assists as well. He also led Penn State with 111 ground balls. Whitaker was named to the Honorable Mention squad on attack. The senior captain was Penn State's leading scorer in 2005 with 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists. Whitaker collected 17 ground balls as well. Heim, a junior, was also on the Honorable Mention squad as midfielder. Heim scored 33 points during his sophomore campaign, scoring 22 goals and dishing off 11 assists. He also nabbed 24 ground balls.
SOPHOMORE MAX VANARSDALE OUT FOR YEAR
Returning starter Max VanArsdale will miss the 2006 season after undergoing ankle surgery. The stand-out attackman will red-shirt this year and carry sophomore eligibility into the 2007 campaign.
NITTANY LIONS LAND IN TOP THREE OF ECAC LACROSSE LEAGUE PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team, under the guidance of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, has grabbed a spot in the top three of the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse League Preseason Coaches Poll. Penn State placed just behind preseason favorite Georgetown and Massachusetts.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 9-6 season that saw them win a share of the league crown with a 5-1 mark. Penn State also earned its second trip to the NCAA Tournament in three years. Thiel's squad returns seven starters and 24 lettermen from a season ago and is coming off a solid 2-0-1 exhibition slate.
Georgetown has been picked first by the league coaches for seven straight years and has won the title five times during that span. Massachusetts and Penn State shared the league crown last season with identical 5-1 records. Rounding out the league poll is Loyola (4), Fairfield (5), Hobart (6), Rutgers (7) and St. John's (8).
WHITAKER AND HEIM NAMED TO ECAC LACROSSE PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse players Nate Whitaker and Pat Heim have been named to the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse Preseason All-League team. The duo received two of the nine slots on the squad, which is voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Whitaker, a senior co-captain, is one of four attackmen on the team. He returns as Penn State's leading scorer from last season, netting 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists (both team highs as well). Whitaker is also carrying a 42-game scoring streak, which began the first game of his freshman year.
Heim, a junior, was a 2005 All-ECAC Lacrosse first team pick last year after scoring 33 points off 22 goals and 11 assists. He and Whitaker are both Inside Lacrosse honorable mention preseason All-Americans this year as well. Massachusetts senior Sean Morris was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Jack Reid, also of Massachusetts, was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Penn State opens up its regular season this coming Sunday with a 1 p.m. game at Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, are coming off a 9-6 season that saw them win a share of the ECAC Lacrosse title with a 5-1 league record and earn their second trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament in the last three years.
WHITAKER AND HEIM NAMED TO ECAC PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Nate Whitaker and Pat Heim have been named to the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse Preseason All-League team. The duo received two of the nine slots on the squad, which is voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Whitaker, a senior co-captain, is one of four attackmen on the team. He returns as Penn State's leading scorer from last season, netting 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists (both team highs as well). Whitaker is also carrying a 42-game scoring streak, which began the first game of his freshman year. Heim, a junior, was a 2005 All-ECAC Lacrosse first team pick last year after scoring 33 points off 22 goals and 11 assists. He and Whitaker are both Inside Lacrosse honorable mention preseason All-Americans this year as well.