Feb. 17, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
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TODAY'S GAME: The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team (0-1, 0-0 ECAC) will open up its home season on Sunday, Feb. 22, when it hosts No. 8 Notre Dame (1-0). Game time in Holuba Hall is set for 1 p.m.
The Nittany Lions are coming off heart-breaking 12-11 double-overtime loss at Robert Morris last Saturday in their season opener. Penn State got four goals from sophomore Chris Hogan but could not withstand a sizzling .414 shooting day by the Colonials, who got past senior goalie Drew Adams for 12 goals.
Team stat leaders Hogan and freshman Jack Forster each lead Penn State with four points. Hogan's are all off four goals while the younger Forster has a goal and a team best three assists. Joe Britt and Charley Henneghan took the bulk of Penn State's face-offs against RMU, with Britt winning nine of 11 and Henneghan winning eight of 12. Adams had 11 saves in the loss while Matt Bernier had a team-best seven ground balls.
Notre Dame is coming off a 10-9 win over ECAC foe Loyola last weekend. The Fighting Irish were led by Grant Krebs, who had three goals and an assist in the game. Neal Hicks had three goals as well. Duncan Swezey totalled three assists. Goalie Scott Rodgers had 11 saves in the game. Notre Dame took advantage on two of five man-up chances to help make up for a sizeable Loyola face-off edge (the Greyhounds won 16 of 22 face-offs.
The Nittany Lions return to action next weekend when they host No. 16 Loyola on Saturday, Feb. 28, in an ECAC battle. Game time in Holuba Hall is also set for 1 p.m.
PENN STATE VS. NOTRE DAME: THE SERIES Notre Dame owns an 11-4 lead in the all-time series between the two teams. The Fighting Irish won a 15-9 game in South Bend last season and have won six straight. Penn State's last victory was a 10-9 overtime victory on Feb. 24, 2002, at Notre Dame.
A HEALTHY HOGAN MAKES A SOLID RETURN at rmu Sophomore Chris Hogan, healthy after battling injuries in 2008, made a solid return to action in Penn State's season opener at Robert Morris. Hogan had four goals to lead the Nittany Lions.
FRESHMEN MAKE FINE DEBUT at rmu Two of Penn State's offensive forces in its 2009 season opener at Robert Morris were freshmen. Red-shirt freshman Jack Forster led Penn State with three assists, added a goal and was the co-leader with four points. True freshman Matthew Mackrides had an assist and two goals for three points as well.
FACE-OFFS STILL A STRONG SUIT FOR NITTANY LIONS Penn State, which sported the ECAC's top face-off unit last year, has picked up right where it left off in 2009. The Nittany Lions won 19 of 27 (.704) at Robert Morris on 2/14 and have a season total of 19 of 27 (.704). Joe Britt has won nine of 11 attempts for an .818 average while Charley Henneghan has won eight of 12 for a .667 clip.
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 latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coaches Poll. This marks the second straight week that Penn State has received votes. Syracuse maintains its hold on the top spot followed by Virginia and Maryland. Johns Hopkins has moved up to fourth and Duke has stepped to fifth. North Carolina (6), Cornell (7) and Notre Dame (8) with Navy, Georgetown and UMBC all tied for ninth. The Nittany Lions are one of four ECAC Lacrosse League schools either ranked or receiving votes. Georgetown sits at No. 9, defending conference champion Loyola is No. 17, Massachusetts is No. 20 and Penn State is receiving votes.