May 1, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Penn State men's lacrosse team battled Johns Hopkins until time ran out in the first round matchup of the Big Ten Tournament. Despite the strong effort, and outstanding performance by several Nittany Lions, the No. 4 seed Penn State fell 14-9 to the No. 1 seed Johns Hopkins.
After putting is a valiant effort, the Nittany Lions (5-9, 2-3 Big Ten) found themselves on the defense early and weren't able to hold off Johns Hopkins' quick start. Penn State let up five goals in the first quarter, and Johns Hopkins (8-6, 4-1 Big Ten) was able to hold Penn State to just 14 shots in the first half. Head coach Jeff Tambroni knew that to come back and be competitive he had to bring his team in and calm their nerves.
"I said relax, just relax," said Tambroni. "I felt like defensively we tried to do some things that didn't seem to work. Offensively, we were just rushing everything and giving the ball right back to their offense. We were exhausted within the first ten minutes of that game. I think we were just really worn down."
Once the Nittany Lions defense was back on track, the offense took the lead, netting in what seemed to be an endless stream of goals kick-started by junior TJ Sanders. From then on it was a constant game of cat and mouse, with Johns Hopkins and Penn State trading leads and ties throughout the second half. The two opponents would tie each other twice during the game, and were never separated by more than two goals during the third quarter.
"I thought when we had our hand free and had room and space to shoot the ball we did a really nice job with it," said Tambroni. "When we didn't the result was evident, we turned the ball over on four possessions in the second half and that proved to probably be a little more than we can handle."
Connor Darcey had an outstanding game in net, saving 11 shots in the first half. Darcey's 11 saves helped him achieved a feat that hasn't happened since Penn State's March 23, 2013 game against Bucknell. His total saves for the night would come to 17, a large number by any comparison.
Although the season ended sooner than they would have liked, the Nittany Lions have much to be proud of from their 2015 campaign. Being a part of the inaugural Big Ten conference for lacrosse makes this season that much more special. Having secured one of only four spots in the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State further proved their ability to contend against the elite programs in the Big Ten.
"It was a honor to be involved in the Big Ten," said Tambroni. "It was a lot of fun for all of us to be involved in the first ever Big Ten Tournament. It is such a first class conference from start to finish. From the way that they promote and market, run games, run the tournament. It has been an honor and I think our guys sensed the difference from where we were to where we are right now."
For the 2015 senior class, this season was the opportunity to steer Penn State men's lacrosse in a new direction, with them at the helm. The nine seniors set the standard for work ethic and sportsmanship that will be in place for years to come in Happy Valley.
"We said to these guys during their senior day, they are the link," said Tambroni. "They are the link to the past and the future."
Penn State men's lacrosse has a bright and promising future ahead thanks to their senior class.
"This was really the last group between the old coaching staff and the new coaching staff and I think they've done a pretty good job of holding on to what we believe is a honorable past, but also leading this group to a new culture and a future to what we think is going to be really bright," said Tambroni.