March 10, 2009
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team, on the road for the first time since mid-February, rode the strong goalkeeping of senior Drew Adams (Springfield, Pa.) to a 10-8 win at No. 20 Villanova. Playing in its fourth straight game against a ranked foe, Penn State garnered its second straight win over a top 20 opponent.
Adams' hot keeping was bolstered by a balanced offensive attack, led by freshman Jack Forster (Jenkintown, Pa.). The younger of Penn State's two Forster brothers had two goals and two assists while classmate Matthew Mackrides (Newtown Square, Pa.) and sophomore Colton Vosburgh (Kennett Square, Pa.) had a goal and two assists each.
While the Nittany Lion offense was getting production from every angle, the goalie work of Adams kept a previously unbeaten Wildcat team in check. Adams ended the game with 16 saves and only eight goals allowed. The Lowes Senior CLASS and Tewaaratan Award nominee netted six saves in the fourth quarter alone. Adams faced 40 shots overall, 24 of which were on goal. The Nittany Lion also got solid defensive play from Earl Ross (Shoreham, Vt.), who had three ground balls.
Penn State opened up an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Rob Forster (Jenkintown, Pa.) and sophomore Chris Hogan (Wycoff, N.J.), who each scored off Vosburgh assists. Villanova cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal from Mike Brennan before Forster scored again, this time off a give from Mackrides. A C.J. Small goal by `Nova cut the lead to 3-2 before Hogan scored off a Jack Forster assist with 2:18 left in the first period to give Penn State a 4-2 lead after 15:00 of play.
Senior captain Matt Warner (Geneva, N.Y.) took a Jack Forster pass and found the goal early in the second period and Alex Garrity (Rutledge, Pa.) scored unassisted at the 11:37 mark to give Penn State a 6-2 lead. But Villanova answered with two quick goals and cut the PSU lead to 6-4 for the bulk of the second half. Jack Forster scored off a Mackrides assist with 3:12 left in the second stanza to send Penn State into the halftime break with a 7-4 lead.
Each team scored two goals in the third period, with Penn State getting an unassisted Vosburgh goal early in the second half and a Jack Forster from Brian Shea (Gaithersburg, Md.) score at the 6:33 mark. Villanova's goals came off the sticks of Matt Fritts (at the 9:57 mark) and Chris MacDonald (with just 0:52 left in the quarter). Penn State still held its three goal edge heading into the fourth quarter, leading 8-5.
Villanova's increased offensive pressure continued into the fourth period, but Adams was superb in goal. Six of his 15 saves were critical as Penn State's last goal came at the 14:44 mark, with Mackrides scoring off a Shea assist to give the Lions a 10-6 lead. Villanova answered with goals from Tim Langan at the 8:14 mark and Tim Driscoll with 6:30 left, but the late burst was not enough to overcome Penn State's lead.
In addition to Jack Forster's four points and the three points from both Mackrides and Vosburgh, Penn State got solid offense from Rob Forster, who had two goals; Hogan, who had two goals; and Shea, who had two assists.
The Nittany Lion face-off awoke to win 16 of the game's 22 face-offs. Joe Britt (Fairfax, Va.) won eight of 11, Charley Henneghan (Royal Oak, Mich.) won four of five and Jordan Kolb (Lancaster, Pa.) won four of six and nabbed three ground balls.
Villanova outshot Penn State 40-25, including a 21-10 edge in the second half. But the Nittany Lion defense and midfield game was strong as Penn State had 33 ground balls to 26 for the Wildcats.
Penn State is 2-3 overall while Villanova falls to 4-1. The Nittany Lions continue a short two-game road swing at Vermont on Sunday, March 15. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY: Penn State 10, #20 Villanova 8 SCORING (Goal-Assist): 1st: PSU 12:07 (R. Forster, Vosburgh), PSU 11:25 (Hogan, Vosburgh), VU 8:39 (Brennan, Webber), PSU 8:33 (R. Forster, Mackrides), VU 3:41 (Small, MacDonald), PSU 2:18 (Hogan, J. Forster) 2nd: PSU 13:47 (Warner, J. Forster), PSU 11:37 (Garrity), 10:02 VU (Driscoll, Webber), VU 8:05 (Webber, Fritts), PSU 3:12 (J. Forster, Mackrides) 3rd: PSU 12:23 (Vosburgh), VU 9:57 (Fritts, MacDonald), PSU 6:33 (J. Forster, Shea), VU 0:52 (MacDonald) 4th: PSU 14:44 (Mackrides, Shea), VU 8:14 (Langan, MacDonald), VU 6:30 (Driscoll, Webber)
GROUNDBALLS: PSU 33, VU 26 MAN-UP OPPS: PSU 0-3, VU 3-8 SHOTS (SH-SOG): PSU 25-15, VU 40-24 -- FACE-OFFS: PSU 16-22, VU 6-22 GOALIE SUMMARY: PSU Drew Adams (60:00, 15 SV, 8 GA), VU Andrew DiLoreto (60:00, 5 SV, 10 GA)
SCORE BY QUARTERS: 1 2 3 4 F PENN STATE 4 3 2 1 10 VILLANOVA 2 2 2 2 8
RECORDS: Penn State 2-3, Villanova 4-1 ATTENDANCE: 437