Feb. 21, 2016
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
ITHACA, NY. ââ'¬" For the third time in as many weeks, the No. 20 Penn State men's lacrosse team (3-0) came out with a big win over the weekend. The Nittany Lions took down No. 18 Cornell (0-1) in an 8-7 nail-biting victory at Schoellkopf Field.
Cornell got on the board within the first few seconds of the first quarter, and quickly scored a second goal minutes later. However, the Nittany Lions answered with two goals of their own, from junior midfielder Mike Sutton and redshirt junior midfielder Matt Florence.
It was a constant game of cat-and-mouse as the Nittany Lions and Big Red kept pace with each other for the first half of the game, ending the first half with Cornell leading 3-2.
"I believed in our guys coming out at halftime," said head coach Jeff Tambroni. "I knew that if we just settled down, played with a little bit more motion and been more selective in our shots we were going to have success. It was just a matter of could we get there."
Determined to return to Happy Valley victorious, the Nittany Lions came out in the third quarter relentlessly taking shots on net, and scoring five unanswered goals, including back-to-back goals from senior attack man TJ Sanders. At the other end of the field, the Nittany Lions defense held off the Big Red and kept them to just three shots in the third.
Starting off the fourth quarter leading 7-3, the Nittany Lions still were not in the clear. Cornell, determined to not give up a home loss, came back to score four goals, tying the game at 7 apiece.
Tensions were high as both teams fought for possession and just one more goal to edge the opposing team.
With less than four minutes left in the fourth, Florence found the back of the net to give the Nittany Lions the go-ahead. Unassisted, it was Florence's second goal of the game and seventh of the season.
"Thankfully through some transitional opportunities we started to open the door up a little bit and I think we just did enough in the second half to come away with a victory," said Tambroni.
Returning to Cornell for Tambroni, who was the head coach of the Big Red from 2001-10 was an emotional experience, but knowing this was a business trip for his Lions made his return very focused on the task at hand.
Although it was good to see past friends, fellow coaches and players of his, Tambroni was proud Penn State came away with a victory over one of the "blue bloods" of the lacrosse world.
"It was great to be here, I was thankful we were able to schedule a game not just in Ithaca, but against a premier program like Cornell," said Tambroni. "I think it's great for our program, I think it's great for our guys to see this kind of competition, so we were thankful and grateful that we were able to have this opportunity."
This Nittany Lions return home this Saturday as they face Villanova at 1 p.m.