March 15, 2010
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -
GAME NOTES
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
Penn State (0-5, 0-0 CAA) will head to Durham, N.C., to take on No. 8 Duke (3-3). Game time at Duke is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 20. The Nittany Lions will be looking for their first win of the season while the Blue Devils will look to build upon momentum created by their win at Loyola on Saturday.
Penn State is coming off a close 7-4 loss at Rutgers in non-conference lacrosse action on Saturday. In a game delayed over two hours due to weather, the Scarlet Knights broke open a close game with a four-goal burst in the third period to seal the win. Billy Gribbin had two goals and an assist to lead the Nittany Lions.
Matthew Mackrides leads Penn State with 18 points off 16 goals and two assists while Gribbin checks in with 14 off 11 and three. Chris Hogan has nine off seven and two and Nick Dolik has eight off six and two. Charley Henneghan has a .676 face-off average, having won 46 of 68 and the Nittany Lions have a .616 mark as a team (77 of 125). Freshman goalie Dave Baker sports an 11.27 goals against average in 234:11 minutes played. He has 39 saves and 44 goals against. Henneghan and Mackrides lead Penn State with 22 ground balls each.
Duke enters the game with a 3-3 mark and ranked No. 8 nationally. The Blue Devils are coming off an important 8-5 win at Loyola on Saturday. Max Quinzani had four goals in the win while Ned Crotty had a goal and four assists. Blue Devil keeper Dan Wigrizer 12 saves and only gave up five goals in the win. Quinzani leads Duke with 26 points off 23 goals and three assists while Crotty has 22 off five and 17. Wigrizer has a 10.33 GAA with 68 saves and 62 goals against.
Penn State will host St. John's on Saturday, March 27, at 1 p.m. at either Bigler or Jeffrey Field.
GRIBBIN SOLID IN 0-2 WEEK FOR NITTANY LIONS
Freshman Billy Gribbin was solid in Penn State's losses to Villanova and at Rutgers on 3/9 and 3/13. Gribbin scored four goals and an assist in the week. He had two goals in Penn State's 11-7 home loss to Villanova on Tuesday and followed that up with two goals and an assist in the teams' 7-4 loss at Rutgers on Saturday. Gribbin's solid week keeps him second on the team in scoring with 11 goals and three assists for 14 points.
MACKRIDES NETS FIVE IN OVERTIME LOSS AT OHIO STATE
Sophomore Matthew Mackrides scored five goals to lead Penn State in a tough 11-10 overtime loss at Ohio State on 2/6. Mackrides took 15 shots, ten on goal, and connected on five of them. The burst improved the sophomore's team-leading point total to 13 off 12 goals and an assist.
BAKER AND Danny Henneghan EMERGE
Freshmen Dave Baker and Danny Henneghan had solid outings for Penn State in the overtime loss at Ohio State. Baker played the entire game in goal, getting eight saves in over 61:00 of minutes of play. Henneghan won 10 of 11 face-offs in the game.
HOGAN NOTCHES THREE POINTS IN CLOSE LOSS AT #3 NOTRE DAME
Junior Chris Hogan led Penn State with two goals and an assist in the Nittany Lions 12-8 loss at No. 3 Notre Dame on 2/28. Hogan's effort helped spark the Lions on a late comeback that fell short as the homestanding Irish held on late for the win.
FRESHMAN BAKER SOLID IN NOTRE DAME GAME
Freshman goalie Dave Baker played the final 40:00 minutes of Penn State's game at No. 3 Notre Dame and had his best outing of the early season. Baker allowed only four goals over the final two thirds of the game and collected seven saves.
MACKRIDES, GRIBBIN AND HOGAN LEAD LIONS IN HOME OPENING LOSS TO ROBERT MORRIS
Matthew Mackrides led Penn State with five goals and an assist for six points in Penn State's 24-17 home opening loss to Robert Morris on 2/20. Freshman Billy Gribbin had six points off four goals and two assists while Chris Hogan had four goals. The Nittany Lions out-shot RMU 75-40 but were thwarted by 26 saves from Robert Morris goalie Sal Barcia (RMU had 29 as a team).
FOLLOW PENN STATE LACROSSE ON FACEBOOK
The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team's coaching staff has a great way for fans to follow the team via the squad's facebook page. The staff will update the page regularly, offering fans with Facebook accounts an inside look at the team from the coach's perspective! Just go here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penn-State-Lacrosse/261058956645