Feb. 10, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
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TODAY'S GAME: The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team (0-0, 0-0 ECAC) opens up the 2009 season at Robert Morris (0-1, 0-0 CAA). Game time in Pittsburgh is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. The Nittany Lions are in their final year in the ECAC, heading to the Colonial Athletic Conference next season. Robert Morris, on the other hand, is in its final year in the Colonial, heading to the NEC next year.
Head coach Glenn Thiel's Nittany Lions head into the 2009 campaign coming off a 7-7 season that saw the squad hard-pressed by injuries but finish on a high note with two straight wins (including a 12-11 overtime victory over then No. 4 Georgetown). Penn State will lean on the talents of three-time ECAC Goalie of the Year Drew Adams, who enters his final season at Penn State with a superb 7.90 goals against average and 482 career saves. Adams has started in all 40 games of his Penn State career to date. Adams is also a co-captain this year.
Co-captain Matt Warner, a stalwart on Penn State's midfield, will also return to lead the Penn State charge. Warner is poised to emerge as one of the ECAC's top short stick defenders in 2009. Penn State's top two scorers return from last season as well. Senior Rob Forster had 29 points off 17 goals and 12 assists and heads into his final year with 61 career points off 40 goals and 21 assists. Classmate Max Van Arsdale had 27 points off 17 and ten and heads into his final go-round with the Nittany Lions with 56 points off 32 goals and 24 assists.
The Penn State defense will be anchored by senior John Stuckey, junior Kevin Etter and sophomore Matt Bernier and the Penn State face-off unit, the tops in the conference last year, returns three experienced players (Charley Henneghan, Jordan Kolb and Joe Britt) who can be a factor on face-offs.
Robert Morris is coming off a 4-11 season that saw them go 0-6 in the CAA. The Colonials will be led by a quartet of captains: Jordan Sealock, Dan Mulford, Dan Kerch and Billy Conques. Robert Morris will head into the game with an 0-1 mark after a 16-4 loss to No. 8 North Carolina in its season opener last weekend.
PENN STATE VS. ROBERT MORRIS: THE SERIES Penn State owns a 1-0 lead in the all-time series against Robert Morris. The two teams met for the first time last year in Holuba Hall on Feb. 16, with the Nittany Lions coming away with an 18-2 win. Penn State is 5-5 in its last five season openers.
LIONS SOLID IN SCRIMMAGE VS. JOHNS HOPKINS Penn State hosted Johns Hopkins on Saturday, February 7, in an unscored scrimmage. Penn State was solid all-around, with goalie Drew Adams totallying eight saves in three quarters. Penn State's young offense was solid as well, with freshman Matthew Mackrides scoring three goals and red-shirt freshman Jack Forster notching a goal and two saves.
Nittany Lion Lacrosse Team Names Drew Adams and Matt Warner Co-Captains for 2009 Season The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team has named seniors Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) and Matt Warner (Geneva, N.Y.) as team captains for the 2009 season. Each player is a four-year letterman for head coach Glenn Thiel's squad. The team's captains were selected by voting amongst the squad. Adams has won the ECAC Goalie of the Year Award for three straight seasons and is a three-time first team All-ECAC selection. In 2006, he was named ECAC Rookie of the Year and has earned honorable mention All-America laurels as well. In three years, Adams has started in each of the 40 games he has played and has collected 482 saves, which is sixth all-time at Penn State and less than 100 from the school record. He also has a sub-8.00 goals against average for his career. Warner has played in all 40 of his games as a Nittany Lion, including emerging as a starter last year. He has eight points for his career, including five assists last season. Warner had 23 ground balls in 2008 and has 54 for his career.
Nittany Lion Lacrosse Players Adams and Mackrides Earn ECAC Lacrosse Pre-Season Honors Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse players Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) and Matthew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.) have each earned ECAC Lacrosse League pre-season laurels. The conference announced the 2009 Preseason All-ECAC Team earlier this week. Adams, a senior goalie on this year's team, was named the 2009 Preseason ECAC Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the 2009 Pre-Season All-ECAC Team. Adams has been a first-team All-ECAC pick in each of his first three seasons at Penn State and has won ECAC Goalie of the Year laurels for three straight years. He has also been a two-time Honorable Mention All-American. Mackrides was named the 2009 ECAC Preseason Rookie of the Year. The younger brother of former Nittany Lion stand-out Andrew Mackrides, Matthew brings a long list of accolades with him as he embarks upon his freshman campaign at Penn State. He was a two-time high school All-American at Malvern Prep and earned all-state honors for three seasons. He was also a member of the USA Under-19 team that won the 2008 World Championships this past summer.
Nittany Lion Lacrosse Team Rallying Behind Relay for Life The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team is well into it's year-long endeavor to make a difference in the lives of cancer victims as it participates in this year's Relay for Life. Relay for Life is 24-hour event set to take place this April, but the fundraising for the event occurs all year long. The men's lacrosse team, under the guidance of head coach Glenn Thiel and assistant coaches Guy VanArsdale and Travis Johnson, raised nearly $1,500 this past summer raffling off lacrosse equipment during its highly-successful summer camps. The team is currently involved in the distribution of fliers throughout the campus and the State College community to raise awareness for the event and to drive future fundraising efforts. The team is already making plans for activities this winter and spring. A touch football or three-on-three basketball tournament is in the works as well. The team plans to host and run the event on its own. Friends and family of Penn State's men's lacrosse team will also be receiving a newsletter that will encourage them to pledge donations to a specific player, based on points or saves in a game. Relay for Life has become well known for its yearly tributes to all those affected by cancer. Each year, the event is used to honor people battling the disease and celebrating those who have won their fight. There is an annual Luminaria Ceremony to remember those whose battles were lost. The national slogan is Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back. This year, Relay for Life is celebrating its 25th Year of Hope and its fifth year of Penn State Pride. The 2009 event will run from 5 p.m. on April 17 to 5 p.m. on April 18 on the fields located off Orchard Road. The Penn State Relay for Life website can be accessed at www.psurelay.org , where interested parties can find all the information they need to get involved as well as links to www.RelayForLife.org (the organization's national website) and www.cancer.org (the American Cancer Society's national site).
NITTANY LIONS RECEIVING VOTES IN LATEST USILA COACHES POLL The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team has received votes in the 2009 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's 2009 Pre-Season Coaches Poll. Penn State is one of ten teams receiving votes behind the USILA's pre-season top 20. Defending national champion Syracuse sits at No. 1 with eight first place votes while Virginia is No. 2 with two top votes. Maryland (3), Cornell (4) and Johns Hopkins (5) round out the top five. The Nittany Lions are one of four ECAC Lacrosse League schools either ranked or receiving votes. Georgetown sits at No. 7, defending conference champion Loyola is No. 17 and both Penn State and Massachusetts are receiving votes.