March 18, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 20 Penn State men's lacrosse (5-2) welcomes RV Massachusetts (3-4) to the Penn State Lacrosse Field for a mid-afternoon matchup Saturday, March 19 at noon.
PROMO PLANS
The Nittany Lions will also honor the brave men and women who have and are currently serving our country, naming Saturday Military Appreciation Day, with free camo drink koozies for all current and former military members. Penn State will also recognize members of the State College Wounded Warriors organization throughout the game.
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SETTING THE SCENE
- The Nittany Lions improved to 5-2 on the year last week as junior Nick Aponte's game winning goal secured a 13-12 thrilling overtime victory against No. 8/7 Harvard. A total of eight Nittany Lions found the scoring column, led by hat tricks from Aponte and senior TJ Sanders.
- Sophomore Will Schreiner and freshman Grant Ament earned Big Ten Weekly awards following a pair of wins last week. Schreiner earns his second career Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Week nod, while Ament also picks up his second career Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel.
- The Minutemen own a 12-6 advantage in the all-time series against the Nittany Lions, having met regularly as members of the CAA from 2010 to 2014. The two teams met as non-conference opponents last year with UMass claiming a 12-8 win at home.
- Having notched at least five assists in all but one game this season, Penn State is averaging 8.00 assists per game, which ranks ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten conference.
- Both Nick Aponte and Grant Ament have tallied double figure goals and assists. Leading the team with 15 assists, Ament's averaging 2.14 per game, which ranks 15th nationally and second in the conference. Ament's 15-6 assist to turnover ratio is tops among a group of eight NCAA DI players with at least 15 assists on the year.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE MINUTEMEN
SCOUTING UMASS
UMass enters the weekend receiving votes in both polls with a 3-4 record on the year. The Minutemen have matched up against a ranked opponent in five of seven outings, including each of the last three straight. UMass snapped a two-game skid with a 14-9 upset-victory against then-No. 10 UNC last weekend. Freshman attack Tyler Bogart notched a hat trick in the win against the Tar Heels.
| Last Three vs. UMass |
| 3/14/2015 | L, 12-8 | A |
| 3/15/2014 | L, 8-6 | H |
| 5/1/2013 | W, 10-7 | H |
SERIES HISTORY vs. UMASS
The Minutemen own a 12-6 advantage in the all-time series against the Nittany Lions, with the two teams having met regularly as members of the CAA from 2010 to 2014. Both squads met as non-conference opponents last year with UMass claiming a 12-8 win at home. Each of the last five outings have been decided by an average of 2.4 goals, with each meeting in the span separated by less than five goals.
LAST TIME OUT: MARCH 14, 2015
AMHERST, Mass. - Billy Lombardi had a career game for the Nittany Lions going 14-22 at the face-off `X' and scoring his first collegiate goal, but the Nittany Lions were unable to overcome a five-goal third quarter for UMass and fell to the Minutemen, 12-8. TJ Sanders scored a pair of goals, while Dan Craig, Nick Aponte, Mike Sutton, Tanner Peck, Lombardi and Drake Kreinz added tallies for the Nittany Lions.
UMass (2-5) out-shot Penn State, 31-28, taking 14 shots in the third quarter alone.
DUO EARNS BIG TEN WEEKLY HONOR
After helping Penn State to a pair of wins last week, sophomore Will Schreiner and freshman Grant Ament have earned Big Ten Weekly awards. Schreiner earns his second career Big Ten Co-Specialist of the Week nod, while Ament also picks up his second career Big Ten Freshman of the Week laurel. The pair of awards marks the sixth time a Nittany Lion has been selected for a Big Ten weekly honor this season.
Schreiner averaged 9.5 saves per game for the Nittany Lions in a 2-0 week that featured wins at Furman and against No. 8/7 Harvard. After recording nine saves in the win against the Paladins, he led the team with a career-high 10 saves in a thrilling overtime win over the Crimson.
Ament finished second on the team with eight points during the undefeated week, as one of two Nittany Lions to total five assists across both outings. He dished out two assists at Furman, adding one goal. Against Harvard, he logged three assists and scored two goals, marking his fifth straight game with at least one goal.
APONTE LEADS PSU PAST NO. 8 HARVARD IN OT
Behind junior Nick Aponte's game winning goal, Penn State knocked off No. 8/7 Harvard 13-12, for a thrilling overtime victory last week. A total of eight Nittany Lions found the scoring column, led by hat tricks from Aponte and senior TJ Sanders.
Sophomore Josh Wellman highlighted the game with a career-high outing from the faceoff "x," winning 18-of-29 attempts, while also collecting 10 ground balls.
Penn State shot out to a 6-3 lead in the first quarter before allowing a 5-2 Harvard run. The Nittany Lions held the Crimson without a goal in the third quarter as Mike Sutton and Dan Craig scored back-to-back goals, but Harvard battled back with four straight to tie the score, 12-12, forcing overtime.
Penn State held off early pressure from the Crimson in the opening part of the overtime period, but Ament found Aponte for the game winner with 2:59 remaining to secure the win.
ALL ABOUT THE ASSIST
Having notched at least five assists in all but one game this season, Penn State is averaging 8.00 assists per game, which ranks ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten conference.
Both Nick Aponte and Grant Ament are leading the team with double figure goals and assists. With one assist in all seven games this season, Aponte has totaled 13 helpers, dishing out at least two in the last two outings. Leading the team with 15 assists, Ament's averaging 2.14 per game, which ranks 15th nationally and second in the conference. Ament's 15-6 assist to turnover ratio is tops among a group of eight NCAA DI players with at least 15 assists on the year.
THE THIRD QUARTER
Penn State is outscoring its opponents 26-19 in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions have also held both No. 18 Cornell and No. 8 Harvard without a goal in the third frame, on the way to wins against both teams. Most recently, the Nittany scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter within exactly two minutes of each other against the Crimson, holding Harvard without a goal. On the offensive side, PSU used a nine-goal showing the third quarter at Furman to secure a comfortable second half lead that led to a 16-7 win.
A FAST START
Following Penn State's 8-7 win on the road at No. 18 Cornell, the Nittany Lions improved to 3-0 on the year, marking the best start for the program since 2002. The 3-0 start to the 2016 season marked a first for head coach Jeff Tambroni, who has directed the Nittany Lions to back-to-back wins at the start of the season twice in the last four years. Penn State is presently 5-2 after the first seven games for the first time under head coach Jeff Tambroni.
GOALS GALORE
Penn State is outscoring its opponents 90-75 on the year, with a scoring offense that's ranked 11th nationally and second in the Big Ten conference, averaging 12.86 goals per game. Penn State's .375 shot percentage is also slotted fifth nationally and first in the conference.
Penn State has scored at least 10 goals in four of seven games this season, winning four outings with 10 or more goals. The Nittany Lions are also 3-0 on the year when limiting their opponent to less than 10 goals per game.
Penn State scored 37 goals in just the first two games of the season, marking the most amount of goals in the first two games of the season in program history. The 37 goals were the most since Penn State scored 36 in the first two games of the 1987 season and the first 30-plus scoring through two games since the NIttany Lions had 33 goals in 2013.
MAKING THEIR MARK
Through seven games, the Nittany Lion newcomers have continued to make their mark, contributing 25 goals and 20 assists for nearly 31 percent of the team's total point scoring this year.
At least one freshman has scored in all seven games this season for the Nittany Lions. Kevin Hill logged his second multi-goal outing at Furman after scoring his first two collegiate goals against Villanova. Jimmy Nowoswiat and Robby Black also posted a pair of goals for their second on the year against the Wildcats.
In the road-win at Cornell, Grant Ament logged his third multi-assist outing, leading the team with two helpers. Ament has scored at least one goal in each of the last four straight games, netting two in the win against No. 8 Harvard.
Against Hobart, Ament recorded his first collegiate hat trick with three goals against Hobart, while also tallying a pair of assists for a team-high five points. Chris Sabia also led the team with three caused turnovers.
All 16 Nittany Lion rookies saw action in Penn State's 2016 season-opening victory against Robert Morris. Making the most of their debuts, a total of six newcomers combined for seven goals and six assists. Defensively, Sabia made his first collegiate start at defense, tallying three ground balls. Trevor Scollins also saw action in goal, notching two saves in 10:50 seconds between the pipes.
SANDERS NEARING ANOTHER MILESTONE
With a team-high four goals in Penn State's win against Robert Morris, senior TJ Sanders notched his 100th career goal to join an elite group as just the seventh Nittany Lion all-time to amass 100 career goals. As the first Nittany Lion to hit the mark since Jack Forster in 2013, he needs 13 more goals to tie for first all-time. Sanders has scored at least two goals in all but one game this season.
SOLIDIFYING THE ATTACK UNIT
Penn State's starting attack consisting of veterans TJ Sanders and Nick Aponte and freshman Grant Ament has combined for 38 goals and 35 assists, for 50 percent of the team's total point-scoring this year.
Leading the team with 18 goals, Sanders has proven to the top goal scorer among the trio, with Ament and Aponte posting at least 10 goals and 10 assists, serving as a combo that can distribute and finish.
In the last three games, the trio has logged 19 goals and 14 for 33 of the team's 57 points during the stretch with Sanders and Aponte putting away at least two goals in each of the last three games.
POLL POSITIONING
Since entering both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Polls, the Nittany Lions made significant movement in the poll. This week, Penn State moved back into the Top 20, coming in at No. 20.
The Nittany Lions opened the season receiving votes in both polls and earned a No. 20/19 ranking last month, before moving up to No. 15/12 three weeks ago. PSU was slotted 20/18 two weeks ago, before spending last week out of the Top 20, but receiving votes in both polls. Penn State was ranked within the Top 20 of both polls for the first three weeks of the 2015 season, spending the first two weeks at No. 14/17.
UP NEXT
Penn State is on the road for the next two weeks, kicking off the road swing with its final non-conference matchup of the season. The Nittany Lions will travel to Dallas, Texas to take on top-ranked Denver Saturday, March 26 at SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium on a neutral field as part of the 2016 Patriot Cup. The following week, Penn State travels to Ohio State to open Big Ten conference play. The Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes will square off Sunday, April 3 at noon on ESPNU.
| SEASON NOTES |
DUO NAMED TO TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Penn State's Nick Aponte and TJ Sanders have been named to the 2016 Tewaaraton Award watch list. The Nittany Lion duo is among the top players across all three divisions of NCAA Lacrosse to be recognized as early contenders for the prestigious award, presented by Under Armour. The Tewaaraton Award, annually honors the top male and female college lacrosse player in the United States. On April 28, the field will be narrowed to 25 men's and 25 women's nominees.
PSU PICKED FOURTH IN B1G COACHES POLL
Penn State has been voted fourth in the 2016 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll with Nittany Lions redshirt juniors Matt Florence, Drake Kreinz and senior TJ Sanders named Penn State's Players to Watch. Johns Hopkins claimed the top spot in the 2016 poll with a unanimous selection from the league's head coaches. Maryland and Ohio State rounded out the top three at spots two and three, respectively. Michigan and Rutgers were selected fifth and sixth.
BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH
Redshirt seniors Matt Florence and Drake Kreinz and senior TJ Sanders earned Penn State Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch honors. The preseason nod is the second straight for Kreinz and Sanders, who both earned 2015 Player to Watch honors prior to the inaugural season of Big Ten lacrosse. Florence earns his first career Big Ten preseason honor, having capped off the season with Big Ten All-Tournament team honors. A 2015 Academic All-Big Ten selection, Kreinz served once again as Penn State's top faceoff specialist in 2015, playing in 13 of 14 games. A USILA All-America honorable mention, Sanders returns as one of the Nittany Lions' top offensive contributors in 2016, having earned both All-Big Ten honorable mention distinction and Academic All-Big Ten awards last year.
TRIO TO LEAD AS 2016 CAPTAINS
A trio of midfielders will lead the team during its 2016 campaign. Seniors Tommy O'Neill and James Burke and redshirt junior Drake Kreinz have been voted as captains. The process for choosing captains has remained unchanged for years and Jeff Tambroni is confident in the system he has in place.
"There are a number of different factors going into the captains process," Tambroni said. "One is a consensus vote from last year's team, we want to get exiting seniors, graduating seniors opinions on who they believe will lead this team most effectively."
After the team vote, Tambroni and fellow assistant coaches evaluate upperclassmen during the fall semester before making a final decision. Penn State men's lacrosse has experimented with the number of captains the team has every year. In 2014 three seniors led the team but in 2015 the task fell solely on senior Kyle Zittel.
TAMBRONI SIGNS 11 TO NLI
Jeff Tambroni has announced the signing of 11 newcomers to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. From U.S. Lacrosse All-Americans and MVPs to state champions and honor roll athletes, this year's class features a talented group poised to join the Nittany Lions in 2016.
Gerard Arceri (Saint James, N.Y.), Nick Cardile (West Grove, Pa.), TJ Connellan (Cazenovia, N.Y.), Colby Kneese (Dallas, Texas), Nick McEvoy (Bethesda, Md.), Mac O'Keefe (Syosset, N.Y.), Kane Randolph (Annapolis, Md.), Jack Rusboldt (Richmond, Va.), Mitch Schaefer (Canandaigua, N.Y.), Conor Smith (West Islip, N.Y.) and Barrett Sutley (Stevenson, Md.) are all set to arrive in Happy Valley.
Three of the signees are ranked within Inside Lacrosse's list of top 25 recruits with Arceri ranked No. 11, O'Keefe tabbed No. 23 and McEvoy slotted No. 25.