April 28, 2015
| BIG TEN TOURNAMENTJOHNS HOPKINS VS. PENN STATE | |
5-8, 2-3 Big Ten | 7-6, 4-1 Big Ten |
| Thursday, April 30 (5:30 p.m.) | |
| Byrd Stadium | College Park, Md. | |
| GAME DAY LINKS |
| Big Ten Men's Lacrosse Tournament Central |
| Big Ten Network / BTN2Go |
| Live Stats |
| Men's Lacrosse Blog |
| Follow Us: @PennStateMLAX | Facebook | Instagram |
| Season Statistics: Penn State | Johns Hopkins |
| Game Notes: Penn State | Johns Hopkins |
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | JHU | |
| 9.23 | Goals per Game | 12.38 |
| 60 | Assists | 99 |
| 33.1 | Shots per Game | 39.1 |
| .279 | Shot Percentage | .317 |
| 9.85 | Goals Against Average | 10.77 |
| 362 | Ground Balls | 385 |
| 66 | Caused Turnovers | 76 |
| .267 | Man-Up % | .441 |
| .698 | Man-Down % | .683 |
| .876 | Clearing % | .866 |
| .517 | Faceoff % | .544 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 28, 2015 - Coming off of a thrilling 10-9 victory at Michigan to earn a berth into the inaugural Big Ten Tournament, the No. 4-seeded Penn State men's lacrosse team plays its tournament semifinal game against No. 1-seeded Johns Hopkins on Thurs., April 30 at 5:30 p.m. in College Park, Md. The game, broadcasted on the Big Ten Network, features Joe Beninati and Mark Dixon on the call.
Penn State enters the postseason with a two-game win streak in hand, posting a 2-3 record in Big Ten play and a 5-8 overall mark. The win over Michigan was the 500th in program history.
SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS
Johns Hopkins (7-6, 4-1 Big Ten) enjoyed a 15-12 victory over then-No. 3 Maryland to earn the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week Ryan Brown scored eight goals and he pushed the Blue Jays to a 6-0 run to open the fourth quarter and get the win. Brown tops the nation with 3.92 goals per game, and has helped Johns Hopkins to the conference's best man-up unit, converting 44.1 percent of its opportunities. Johns Hopkins has one of the nation's most high-powered offenses, only scoring 10 goals-or-less twice this year. In the cage, Will Ryan and Eric Schneider have both seen action in each of the Blue Jays' previous two games. The Nittany Lions are winless against Hopkins in six games, played since 1916. Earlier this season, Penn State got a lights-out game by Connor Darcey and a four-goal performance by Pat Manley, but suffered an 11-10 double overtime heartbreaker.
LOOKING BACK
Penn State held Michigan to one goal in the first half and staved off an attempted Wolverine comeback to beat Michigan 10-9 and advance to the inaugural Big Ten Tournament as the No. 4 seed.
MANNING THE ATTACK
As his final season nears its conclusion, Pat Manley has taken it upon himself to guide the Nittany Lions' attack. He has 17 points in his last three games, including career-best performances against Johns Hopkins (four goals) and Rutgers (four assists, five points). He ranks sixth in the conference with two goals and 1.33 assists per Big ten game, and his 3.33 points per conference game ranks seventh. Against Johns Hopkins, Manley's four-goal game, all scored in a 12-minute span, was the first outing in his four Penn State seasons with three-or-more goals. This year, he has surpassed career totals in all offensive categories, totaling 11 goals and six assists for 17 points.
SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS
The Nittany Lions' sophomore class has been one of the team's high points this season. Redshirt-sophomores Connor Darcey, Drake Kreinz and Matt Florence have led Penn State respectively in the cage, at the `X' and in the attacking midfield. Joining Florence's offensive prowess are true sophomores Mike Sutton and Nick Aponte, each maintaining 17-game point streaks. Alongside Florence, Sutton and Aponte, classmate Dan Craig rounds out the team's top-6 point-getters. Brian Prestreau has played nearly every game in the midfield, while Tyler Chambers' and Peter Triolo's defensive efforts have proved invaluable and Billy Lombardi has provided support at the `X'.
APONTE MAKES A POINT
Since making the move to attack at Johns Hopkins, Nick Aponte has changed the dynamic of Penn State's offense. Playing in the midfield, the Nittany Lions averaged 8.9 goals per game but since the transition, the team has mustered 10.33 goals per game. Aponte has recorded nine points (four goals, five assists), more than 33 percent of his season total, and 10 shots, 26 percent of his season total, scooped up 10 ground balls, 40 percent of his season total, and caused a pair of turnovers, 66 percent of his season total.
SANDERS THE STALWART
Since joining the Nittany Lions as a freshman in 2013, a Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year campaign, TJ Sanders has been one of Penn State's most reliable attackmen. An All-Big Ten honorable mention, Sanders is just the third junior Nittany Lion since 2009 to score 100-or-more points (114) with current Major Lacrosse League players Shane Sturgis (108) and Matt Mackrides (102). Sanders has scored in all but seven games since his debut in the Blue and White, scoring multiple goals in 26 contests, and has netted 20-or-more goals each collegiate season. He is currently fifth in the Big Ten with 2.08 goals per game, tied for sixth with three points per game and tied for ninth with 0.92 assists per game.
SUTTS IN THE BUCKET
After an abbreviated freshman season, Mike Sutton has returned for his sophomore campaign with a vengeance. The Sewell, N.J. native, an All-Big Ten honorable mention, is in the midst of a 17-game point streak and this season, he is second on the team with 24 goals and 28 points. In the conference rankings, Sutton currently ranks fourth with 7.38 shots per game and ninth with 1.85 goals per game. He has six multi-goal games, including two hat tricks, on the year.
SAVED!
Connor Darcey has been a stalwart in the cage this season, his first as a starter. The redshirt sophomore has made double-digit saves in 10 of the Nittany Lions' 13 contests. In Penn State's game at Harvard, Darcey made 18 saves, the most for a Nittany Lion since 2012 and the highest number on the day for a Big Ten goalie. In his first collegiate start, against Vermont, Darcey made 15 saves en route to his first collegiate win. His efforts earned him the first-ever Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award. Currently, Darcey ranks second in the Big Ten with 12.23 saves per game, which is eighth nationally.
NATIONAL PRIDE
Associate head coach Peter Toner was tabbed as an assistant coach for the 2016 U.S. Men's National Under-19 team. Toner will work under the head coach Nick Myers, who currently serves at the helm of Ohio State's men's lacrosse program. With the announcement, Penn State's three coaches have all served on the coaching staffs of a national team. Head coach Jeff Tambroni was an assistant for the 2014 U.S. men's senior team, and assistant coach Chris Doctor served in the same capacity for the Iroquois Nationals at the 2014 FIL World Championship.
FAMILY TIES
Penn State Lacrosse's expansive 101-year alumni base is bound to produce a few connections among current Nittany Lions, and this year's team is no exception. Matt Florence's father Tom was a goalie at Penn State from 1982-85. J.J. Pearl, who ranks fifth in career saves (557 from 1989-92), is freshman goalie Hunter Pearl's father.
TAMBRONI IN HIS FIFTH SEASON
Guiding the Nittany Lions through the inaugural season of Big Ten Lacrosse, Jeff Tambroni is in his fifth season as Penn State's head coach in 2015. With a 35-24 record, Tambroni has guided his Nittany Lion teams to .500-or-better records in each of his four seasons at the helm.