April 29, 2008
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
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TODAY'S GAME: The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team (6-7, 1-5 ECAC) will host No. 4 Georgetown (9-3, 5-1 ECAC) in the 2008 season finale. The game, set for Saturday, May 3, at 1 p.m., will serve as Senior Day for Penn State as well with seniors Devin Madden, Bubba Scott, Tommy Zichelli and Andrew Mackrides being honored prior to the opening face-off.
Penn State is coming off a solid 10-6 win at St. Joseph's on Saturday night in its final non-conference game of the year. Senior Bubba Scott led Penn State with three goals, two of which came in a furious 6-0 third period burst that helped spur Penn State onto victory. Drew Adams had 13 saves and Max VanArsdale added two goals and an assist in the victory.
Rob Forster leads Penn State with 27 points off 16 goals and 11 assists. Max VanArsdale has 20 off 13 and seven and Andrew Mackrides is at 16 off 12 and four. Brian Shea has 11 points off eight goals and three assists while Charley Henneghan has 10 off nine and one with a .569 face-off percentage (29-51). Goalie Drew Adams has a 7.45 goals against average with 148 saves and a .612 save percentage. As a team, Penn State has a .246 shooting percentage and a .580 win percentage on face-offs, led by Jordan Kolb's .598.
Georgetown is coming off a 13-7 win at Rutgers on Saturday. The Hoyas were led by Andrew Brancaccio and Ricky Mirabito, who head had three goals. Craig Dowd had five assists. Brandon Cannon leads GU with 44 points off 23 goals and 21 assists while Andrew Baird has 33 off 25 and eight. Dowd has 33 off 11 and 20 while Mirabito has 20 points and Brancaccio has 19. Goalie Miles Kass has an 8.46 goals against average with 138 saves and a .582 save percentage.
The game serves as the season finale for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
PENN STATE VS. GEORGETOWN: THE SERIES Georgetown owns a 10-3 lead in the all-time series between the two schools. The game has served as the regular season finale for the two teams since 2005, with this being the fourth straight instance. Georgetown won 9-4 last year in Washington, D.C. and 10-9 two years ago here on Jeffrey Field. Penn State's last win was a 13-12 overtime victory at GU on May 8, 2005.
SCOTT'S THREE POINTS LEADS LIONS OVER HAWKS. Senior Bubba Scott scored three goals to lead Penn State to a 10-6 win over St. Joseph's on 4/26. The win, Penn State's final non-conference game of the year, was highlighted by a 6-0 third quarter in which Scott scored two of his three goals.
FORSTER NETS THREE POINTS VS. RUTGERS Junior Rob Forster had a solid outing in Penn State's 8-4 loss to Rutgers on 4/20. Forster led Penn State with two goals and an assist for three points.
THIEL CLAIMS 300TH CAREER WIN Penn State's 8-7 win over No. 9 Bucknell on 4/15/08 was head coach Glenn Thiel's 300th career coaching victory. Thiel is in his 41st year as a head coach and his 31st as the mentor at Penn State.
GOALIE ADAMS NETS FIRST CAREER GOAL Two-time ECAC Goalie of the Year Drew Adams saw an opening downfield and was perfect in his aim when he scored his first career goal in Penn State's 8-7 win over Bucknell on 4/15/08. Adams goal at the end of the third quarter helped spur Penn State onto the upset win over the Bison. Adams also had a point-blank save as the game ended to keep action from heading to overtime.
HENNEGHAN AND MACKRIDES NET TWO EACH IN PENN STATE'S 8-7 WIN OVER NO. 9 BUCKNELL Penn State got balanced scoring in its 8-7 win over No. 9 Bucknell on 4/15/08. Sophomore Charley Henneghan continued his stellar play with two goals while middie Andrew Mackrides had two himself, including the game tying goal late in the game from near midfield. Henneghan also won three of four face-offs and Mackrides had five ground balls in the win.
RHODES SOLID IN CLOSE LOSS TO UMASS Freshman Colby Rhodes had a goal and two assists in Penn State's tough 7-5 loss to Massachusetts on March 29. The talented Nittany Lion freshman has emerged as a solid force on Penn State's attack.
FORSTER AND ROSS LEAD PSU OVER FAIRFIELD Junior Rob Forster had two goals and two assists and defender Earl Ross had a team-high six ground balls to lead Penn State to a 7-2 road win over Fairfield on March 21 in ECAC Lacrosse League action. Ross' ground ball total was a season high for the sophomore defender.
ADAMS STELLAR GOALIE PLAY LEADS LIONS OVER VISITING VERMONT - NAMED ECAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK Two-time ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year Drew Adams had a superb outing in Penn State's 7-4 win over visiting Vermont on 3/15. Adams shut the Catamounts out during the first half on his way to collecting 16 saves against 38 shots (20 of which were on goal). He was named ECAC Lacrosse League Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
McALEENAN SPARKS LIONS TO WIN OVER `NOVA Junior Ryan McAleenan scored all of his game-high three goals in the first half of Penn State's 12-3 victory over Villanova on 3/11. The early hat trick helped Penn State bolt out to a 6-1 halftime lead.
LION DEFENSE SHINES AGAINST WILDCATS The Penn State Nittany Lion defense, led by Tommy Zichelli, Kevin Etter and John Stuckey, was solid in the Nittany Lions' 12-3 win over Villanova on 3/11. The Nittany Lions limited VU to 20 shots, only 14 of which were on goal. Goalie Drew Adams gave up only two goals in over 54:00 of play in another outstanding outing for the Tewaaraton Trophy candidate.
FORSTER LEADS PSU IN CLOSE LOSS AT #15 LOYOLA Junior Rob Forster grabbed half of Penn State's total points in a close 7-4 loss at No. 15 Loyola on 3/1. Forster had one goal and Penn State's only two assists in the contest for three of the PSU's six points.
ADAMS ON TEWAARATON TROPHY LIST Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse player Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) has been named to the 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List, as announced by the Tewaaraton Award Foundation. Adams, a junior goalie for Penn State, is in his third season as a starter for the Nittany Lions. Already a two-time first team All-ECAC Lacrosse League pick, Adams has won the last two ECAC Lacrosse League Goalie of the Year awards. He was also the ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year in 2006. The native of Springfield, Pa., started all 26 games during his first two seasons at Penn State and collected 317 saves. He allowed only 209 goals in over 1500 minutes played for a superb 8.01 goals against average.
DONLEY NETS TWO AT NOTRE DAME Freshman Will Donley scored two goals in Penn State's 15-9 loss at No. 8 Notre Dame on Feb. 24, leading Penn State with two points along with Brian Shea, who had a goal and an assist.
VanARSDALE AND LOY NOTCH HAT TRICKS Junior Max VanArsdale and sophomore Matt Loy scored three goals each to lead Penn State in goals during PSU's 18-2 season opening win over Robert Morris on 2/16. VanArsdale added an assist for four total points in the contest. Loy took only four shots in the game, finding the net on three of them.
FORSTER'S FIVE POINTS LEAD NITTANY LIONS OVER ROBERT MORRIS Junior Rob Forster had two goals and a game-high three assists to lead Penn State to an 18-2 win over visiting Robert Morris on 2/16. Forster was one of four Nittany Lions with more than one goal and one of three with more than one assist.
16-POINT MARGIN OF VICTORY MOST SINCE `95 Penn State's 16-point margin of victory over Robert Morris on 2/16 (an 18-2 win) was the largest Penn State margin of victory since the Nittany Lions downed Stony Brook by 16, 20-4, on April 8, 1995.
FIRST SEASON OPENING WIN SINCE `05 Penn State snapped a short two year losing skid in season opening games by downing Robert Morris 18-2 on 2/16. The Nittany Lions had last won a season opener in 2005, when Penn State beat No. 14 Ohio State 9-7 on Feb. 19, 2005. 2005 was also Penn State's last trip to the NCAA tournament.
ZICHELLI AND ADAMS NAMED TO 2008 PRE-SEASON ALL-ECAC LACROSSE TEAM Two members of Penn State's men's lacrosse team have been selected to the 2008 Preseason All-ECAC Team as chosen by the conference's eight head coaches. Senior Tommy Zichelli ( Severna Park, Md.) and junior Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) represent Penn State on the squad. Zichelli, a defender, has played in 38 games during his Penn State career. He heads into his senior season as one of Penn State's captains and is coming off a solid 2007 that saw him collect 25 ground balls. He has six points off four goals and two assists with 64 ground balls during his Nittany Lion career. Adams, the lone goalie on the preseason squad, is a two-time All-ECAC Lacrosse League first team pick and league Goalie of the Year. In 2006, he was also voted ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year and was an honorable mention All-American. Adams has started all 26 games of his prior two seasons and has an 8.01 goals against average with 317 saves and a .603 save percentage.
ADAMS EARNS PRE-SEASON HONORS FROM INSIDE LACROSSE MAGAZINE Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse goalie Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) has been named to the Inside Lacrosse Magazine Pre-Season All-ECAC Team, helping Penn State to earn the No. 2 spot in the magazine's pre-season team poll. Adams, the two-time ECAC Goalie of the Year, has started all 26 games of his collegiate career. He has a superb 8.01 goals against average in over 1500 minutes played. Adams has 317 saves and only 209 goals against and sports a .603 save percentage. As a freshman, he was ECAC Rookie of the Year as well and is a two-time first team All-ECAC pick. In addition, the Nittany Lions were picked to finish second by Inside Lacrosse in the pre-season team poll. National power Georgetown was predicted to win the team crown, followed by Penn State, UMass, Loyola, Rutgers, Fairfield, St. John's and Hobart.
MACKRIDES AND ZICHELLI NAMED CAPTAINS Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel has announced that seniors Andrew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Tommy Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.) have been named team captains for the 2008 season. The seniors are two of only four seniors on a very young Penn State roster. Mackrides is a 5-8 middie who is coming off a solid 2007 that saw him play in all 13 games for Penn State, scoring two goals. He has played in 40 games during his first three seasons at Penn State and has nine goals and one assist for ten points. Zichelli is a 6-3 defender who also played in all 13 games for the Nittany Lions in 2007. He had 25 ground balls, which was fourth on the team. Zichelli has played in 38 games over three years, has four goals and two assists for six points as well as 64 ground balls.