April 11, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 11 Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team will make history on Saturday, playing in its first Big Ten Network broadcast when Towson visits Penn State Lacrosse Field at 1 p.m. Saturday's game will be a festive event as the Nittany Lions celebrate their 10 departing seniors before the game and the first 100 fans will receive BTN foam fingers. All regular season Penn State lacrosse home games are free to attend.
#13 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS (8-3, 3-0 CAA) vs.TOWSON TIGERS (7-5, 3-0 CAA)
Game 12: April 13, 2013 // 1:00 p.m. // Penn State Lacrosse Field // University Park, Pa.
GAME DAY
VENUE: Penn State Lacrosse Field (turf; 1,000)
TV COVERAGE: Big Ten Network
TALENT: Mike Wolf (pxp), Greg Bice (analysis)
SERIES RECORD: 6-12
LAST MEETING: April 14, 2012; PSU 8-3 (Towson, Md.)
NEXT GAME: April 20 at Delaware, 7 p.m.
GAME NOTES
• Penn State puts six-game winning streak on the line vs. Towson
• Nittany Lions will be on TV for the third time this season, second game on nationally
• Penn State will honor 10 seniors for their contribution to Nittany Lion program
• The Nittany Lions defeated Towson last year, 8-3, in Maryland
• Towson has won four straight, and seven of last nine games, entering Saturday
• Penn State ran away from Drexel, 13-6, last Saturday in Happy Valley
• Jack Forster and TJ Sanders scored four times each, earning CAA weekly honors
• Forster has 11 career hat tricks, eight in the past two years, Sanders with six in 2013
• Austin Kaut made 13 saves vs. DU and has .750 save percentage in last 6 games
• Jack Forster, Danny Henneghan and Austin Kaut have earned top 10 spots in Penn State's record books in various categories
• Lion midfield has scored 26 goals in past six games, had 10 in first five games
• Forster is riding a 23-game point streak dating back to Mar. 3, 2012
• Penn State hits the road next week for a night game at Delaware on Saturday
PENN STATE HONORS 10 SENIORS
Prior to the game on Saturday, Penn State will honor 10 seniors who have contributed countless hours in the classroom and on the field for the lacrosse program. Travis Crane, Conor Baucum, John Cugini, Eric Davidheiser, Nick Dolik, Jack Forster, Danny Henneghan, Drew Roper, David Spadacene and manager Tyler Schmitt will be a part of the pre-game introductions for PSU.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
After starting 0-3 to start the season, Towson (7-5, 3-0 CAA) has won seven of its last nine games including the last four in a row. During the four-game winning streak, Towson won road games at UMBC (12-9) and Delaware (7-6, OT), while upsetting Hofstra (7-6) at home before beating UMass (9-5) last week.
The story of the Tigers' season has been the play of goalie Andrew Wescavage, who has earned CAA Co-Player of the Week honors the past two weeks. Wascavage ranks fourth nationally in save percentage (.625) and saves per game (14.33). Last week against UMass he saved 20 of 25 shots on goal.
On attack, which scores 8.33 goals per game, the Tigers are led by Thomas DeNapoli with 39 points on 29 goals and 10 assists. Cory Dobyns (18 goals), Andrew Hodgson (15) and Greg Cuccinello (11) are TU's other double-digit scorers. At the faceoff X, it's been by committee with five different Tigers taking attempts. As a team, Towson has won just 94 of 244 faceoffs for a winning percentage of .385. On special teams, the man-up scores 31.1 percent of the time, while the man-down unit allows a goal at 40.5 percent.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. TOWSON
All-Time Series: 6-12
PSU Streak: 2 wins
First Meeting: 4/8/81, PSU 14-6
Last Meeting: 4/14/12, PSU 8-3
Last PSU Win: 4/14/12, 8-3
Last TOW Win: 4/24/10, 10-9
Largest PSU Win: 14-6, 4/8/81
Largest TOW Win: 18-7, 4/1/87
PSU at home vs. TOW: 3-5
PSU Goals vs. TOW: 181-221
LAST TIME VS. TOWSON (April 14, 2012)
Matthew Mackrides and Shane Sturgis scored three goals each as No. 16 Penn State topped Towson, 8-3, at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Jack Forster, who matched his career high with his 35th point, extended his goal-scoring streak to eight games, and Drew Roper notched his second marker of the season. Austin Kaut recorded 13 saves as Penn State kept Towson scoreless for a 36:46 span that included the entire second half. Penn State out-shot Towson by a 39-28 margin and collected 38 ground balls to the Tigers' 26. The Nittany Lions were 1-for-4 with the extra man and 20-for-23 on clears, while Towson finished 0-for-2 and 18-for-21, respectively.
LIONS ROAR PAST DREXEL
The 13th-ranked Nittany Lions employed a 7-0 second-half run to knock off No. 12 Drexel, 13-6, in front of a Penn State Lacrosse Field record crowd of 1,007 on Saturday afternoon (April 6). Attackmen Jack Forster and TJ Sanders tallied four goals apiece and goalkeeper Austin Kaut saved 13 shots to beat the first-place Dragons. Holding a one-goal lead in the third quarter, Penn State exploded for seven straight goals over an 11-minute span in the second half to put away the Dragons. The Nittany Lions won their sixth straight game thanks to a quick-strike offense that out-shot Drexel 47-23 for the day.
It was a festive atmosphere in Happy Valley as Penn State honored seven decades of lacrosse alumni who came back for the 100th Season Celebration. The Nittany Lions wore special gray uniforms and commemorated the 100th season of Penn State men's lacrosse at halftime with a parade of alumni on the field.
In all, Forster tallied five points, pitching in with an assist, while fellow attackman Shane Sturgis posted his third three-assist game in a row. Sturgis added a goal as the starting attack recorded 13 points on nine goals and four assists. The 13-goal output by the Nittany Lions was the most since a 15-goal effort in a win over No. 9 Denver on Feb. 17. Penn State is now 4-3 against ranked opponents this year and 3-1 against higher-ranked foes.
SANDERS, FORSTER EARN CAA AWARDS
Jack Forster and TJ Sanders honored by the Colonial Athletic Association office on Monday afternoon (April 8) for their outstanding play in a 13-6 win over Drexel. The weekly honor is the third of Forster's career and the fourth of the season for Sanders.
CLIMBING UP THE LEADERBOARD
Three Nittany LionsÂ--Jack Forster, Danny Henneghan and Austin Kaut--are heading into or already in the Penn State record books. For Henneghan, he currently ranks sixth all-time in faceoff winning percentage and picked up his 200th career ground ball against Drexel on Saturday. If he picks up two grounders against Towson he'll move into 10th all-time at PSU. In net, Kaut ranks seventh all-time in saves with 474. He is 36 saves behind Rich Caravella for sixth place. As for Forster, he's five goals from tying 10th place (94, John Hollerbach) and six points from 10th (Bill Hess, 134).
POWER KAUT IN NET
A preseason All-American and Tewaaraton Award Watch List candidate, junior Austin Kaut is considered one of the best goalkeepers in college lacrosse. Following an average start to year three in Happy Valley, Kaut has stepped up his game. In the past five outings, he has posted a 4.70 GAA and a .750 save percentage, allowing just 28 goals and saving 84 shots. Kaut has stopped at least nine shots in each game and has 13 or more saves in five of those contests. Penn State started the season 2-3, but is 6-0 since. Kaut opened the season with a 9.79 GAA and .490 save percentage behind 48 saves and 50 goals allowed.
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
Penn State finished a stretch of five games from Feb. 9-March 16 against USILA ranked opponents as PSU went 2-3. After a March 26 win at Bucknell, Penn State's record improved to 3-3, including 2-1 against top 10 teams. This past week, Penn State downed 12th-ranked Drexel to improve to 4-3 in games against ranked foes. This week's foe, Towson, is receiving votes in the poll, while Hofstra (April 27) is ranked 20th this week.
MIDFIELD SCORING EMERGES
Through the first five games, Penn State's attack carried the offensive load scoring 42 of the team's 52 goals (77.7%). Meanwhile, in the last five games, PSU's midfield has shined, scoring 26 of the team's 58 goals (44.8%). Leading the midfield scoring this season is Tom LaCrosse with 17 goals. Nick Dolik, Kyle VanThof and Kyle Zittel each have five goals. Gavin Ahern (3), Erik Myers (2) and Michael Richards (1) round out the midfield scoring. PSU has one goal from the defense (Jack Donnelly vs. St. Joe's).
DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Penn State's offense has improved mightily in 2013 with the attacking trio of Jack Forster (37 points) TJ Sanders (31), and Shane Sturgis (31). Penn State is averaging over 10 goals per game this season with a shooting percentage of .288. Last season, the Nittany Lions scored just 8.73 goals per game and post a percentage of .258. Also, assists, points, shots and ground balls per game are up from 2012.
HAT TRICK HEROS
TJ Sanders and Jack Forster each tallied four goals in Saturday's win over Drexel to bump their career hat tricks to 11 and 6, respectively. Tom LaCrosse has two hat tricks this season, bringing his career total to four, while Shane Sturgis has five. Nick Dolik tallied his third career hat trick on Tuesday, March 19 at Binghamton.
Jack Forster 11 TJ Sanders 6 Shane Sturgis 5 Tom LaCrosse 4 Nick Dolik 3 Gavin Ahern 2 Kyle VanThof 1
GOING STREAKING
Penn State's attack has Jack Forster with a 23-game streak, which started on March 3, 2012 against Ohio State. He has scored 48 goals, 20 assists and 68 points during that time.
NITTANY LIONS ON TV
On Thursday, March 21 it was announced that Penn State's regular season home finale vs. Towson would be aired live by Big Ten Network. The TV broadcast is Penn State's third this season.
Previously, Penn State lacrosse was televised on Feb. 17 against Denver at Jacksonville, Fla. by NBC Sports Network and March 9 vs. Lehigh in Chester, Pa. on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app for mobile devices.
Penn State's appearance on NBC Sports Network is believed to be the first nationally televised men's lacrosse game in program history. The BTN broadcast will be the second. The last time Penn State was on television before this season was in 2010 vs. Towson on WMAR in Baltimore.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State returns to the road at Delaware on Saturday, April 20. The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Delaware Stadium for the Nittany Lions and Blue Hens.
--NITTANY LIONS--