March 9, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Winners of three straight games, the No. 10 Penn State men's lacrosse team will begin a season-long three-game homestand against No. 11/13 Denver on Saturday (March 10) at the Penn State Lacrosse Field. Opening faceoff is slated at 1 p.m.
The Nittany Lions (3-1, 0-0 CAA), who are off to their best start since the 2002 season, will search for their first 4-1 start since 1999. Penn State will also play its third straight game and fourth of the season against a ranked opponent. The Nittany Lions are 2-1 against ranked foes in 2012.
The Penn State defense has become a formidable unit during its recent stretch of success, allowing just five goals against in the past two games. The five goals allowed marked the best two-game stretch for the Nittany Lions since surrendering only four combined goals in two consecutive games during the 1961 season.
Senior midfielder Matthew Mackrides (Newtown Square), who has scored twice in each game this season, paces the squad with eight goals, while classmate Jack Forster (Jenkintown) leads the team in points (12). Senior midfielder Ryan Link (Englewood, Colo.) has collected a team-high 19 ground balls and six caused turnovers, while sophomore goalkeeper Austin Kaut (Morton) ranks second in the nation in save percentage (.679) and fifth in goals-against average (6.41).
Denver (3-1, 0-1 ECAC) will also enter Saturday's matchup on a three-game win streak. The Pioneers fell to Ohio State, 10-9, in their season-opening game. Against common opponents, Denver defeated Michigan, 17-5, on Feb. 25, while the Nittany Lions topped the Wolverines, 16-9, one week earlier.
In its matchup against the Pioneers, Penn State's stringent defense will be put to the test against an explosive Denver offense that averages 14.50 goals per game. The Pioneers are led by a pair of the nation's best attackmen in Mark Matthews and Alex Demopoulos. Among active players, Matthews ranks second in the nation with a 33-game goal-scoring streak (88 goals during span), while Demopoulos ranks second in the NCAA with a 38-game point-scoring streak (71g-58a--129p).
The Nittany Lions are 1-2 all-time against Denver with their lone win coming during the 2004 season. In the teams' last matchup in 2007, Penn State battled back from a 2-0 deficit to take a 5-2 lead, but the Pioneers tallied eight unanswered markers to close out the game.