March 25, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's lacrosse (5-3) is set to close out its 2016 non-conference slate on the road, traveling to Dallas, Texas to square off against top-ranked Denver (7-0) Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m. ET at SMU's Ford Stadium as part of the 2016 Patriot Cup.
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SETTING THE SCENE
- The Nittany Lions moved to 5-3 on the year last week, falling short in an 11-9 loss to UMass at the Penn State Lacrosse Field. Despite the outcome, Nittany Lion junior Mike Sutton led the team with his first hat trick of the season, scoring all three goals in the first quarter.
- The Pioneers own a 5-2 edge in the all-time series against the Nittany Lions, having played two of the last three games at a neutral site. Last year, Penn State fell short in a 10-8 loss to Denver in a neutral site matchup played at Hofstra.
- Penn State and Denver are also becoming fairly regular non-conference foes, as the two teams have squared off in each of the last four seasons. Denver enters the weekend matchup as winners of their last 20 straight games, including an NCAA national title in 2015 and a 7-0 mark in 2016.
- Having notched at least five assists in all but one game this season, Penn State is averaging 7.75 assists per game, which ranks 10th 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 19 assists, Ament's averaging 2.38 per game, which ranks ninth nationally. Ament's 19:6 assist-to-turnover ratio is tops among eight NCAA DI players with at least 18 assists on the year.
- Five Nittany Lions have scored at least 10 goals on the year, led by 18 goals from senior TJ Sanders. Grant Ament and redshirt junior Matt Florence are tied for second with 12 each.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PIONEERS
SCOUTING DENVER
Denver enters Saturday's matchup riding a 20-game winning streak, with an unblemished 7-0 mark on the year. The streak stands as the longest active winning stretch in the nation as the top-ranked defending NCAA national champion Pioneers also boast the sixth-ranked scoring offense in the NCAA standings, averaging 13.57 goals per game. FOGO Trevor Baptiste is leading the team with an NCAA-high 8.86 ground balls per game, at 116-169 from the faceoff x for a .686 winning percentage.
| Last Three vs. Denver |
| 3/21/2015 | L, 10-8 | N |
| 3/10/2014 | L, 15-11 | A |
| 2/17/2013 | W, 15-12 | N |
SERIES HISTORY vs. DENVER
The Pioneers own a 5-2 edge in the all-time series against the Nittany Lions, having played two of the last three games at a neutral site. Penn State and Denver are also becoming fairly regular non-conference foes, as the two teams have squared off in each of the last four seasons.
LAST TIME OUT: MARCH 21, 2015
Hempstead, N.Y. - Penn State men's lacrosse led No. 5/6 Denver for nearly half the game, but couldn't overcome a high-powered Pioneer offense falling to Denver, 10-8.
Dan Craig and Mike Sutton recorded three points each. Craig had two assists and one goal while Sutton added two goals and one assist. TJ Sanders and Nick Aponte also scored two goals apiece. Connor Darcey's 14 saves marked him the first goalie since 2011 to make 10-or-more saves in seven of the season's first eight games. Penn State was out-shot by the Pioneers, 38-31. Denver won the ground ball battle, 25-23. The Pioneers dominated at the face-off `X', going 14-8.
AGAINST NO. 1
The Nittany Lions are 0-2 all-time against top-ranked teams at the time of meeting. Penn State has not faced a No. 1 ranked team since 1997 when the Nittany Lions played top-ranked Princeton, March 22, 1997 at home. On the year, Penn State is 2-0 when squaring off against a ranked team, having topped No. 18 Cornell on the road before defeating No. 8 Harvard at home. The win against the Crimson marked the Nittany Lions' first win over a Top 10 team since 2014.
SUTTON STEPPING IT UP
Since entering the starting lineup for the first time this season at Penn, junior midfielder Mike Sutton has stepped up his offensive production for the Nittany Lions. Most recently, Sutton logged his first hat trick of the season, scoring three goals in the opening quarter against UMass. He's also notched multi-goal performances in two of the last three games, registering two goals on the road at Furman. He is tied for first on the team with six goals within the 3-game span.
ALL ABOUT THE ASSIST
Having notched at least five assists in all but one game this season, Penn State is averaging 7.75 assists per game, which ranks 10th 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 but one game this season, Aponte has totaled 13 helpers, dishing out at least two in two of the last three outings. Leading the team with 19 assists, Ament's averaging 2.38 per game, which ranks ninth nationally and second in the conference. Ament's 19:6 assist- to-turnover ratio is tops among a group of eight NCAA DI players with at least 18 assists on the year.
THE THIRD QUARTER
Penn State is outscoring its opponents 28-22 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. Against the Crimson, the Nittany scored back-to-back goals in the third quarter within exactly two minutes of each other, holding Harvard without a goal in the frame. 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.
APONTE LEADS PSU PAST NO. 8 HARVARD IN 0T
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.
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 in the first two weeks of the season twice in the last four years. Penn State is presently 5-3 after the first eight games for the second time under head coach Jeff Tambroni and first since 2013.
GOALS GALORE
Penn State is outscoring its opponents 99-86 on the year, with a scoring offense that's ranked 14th nationally and second in the Big Ten conference, averaging 12.38 goals per game. Penn State's .363 shot percentage is also slotted fifth nationally and first in the conference.
Penn State has scored at least 10 goals in four of eight 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.
FRESH CONTRIBUTIONS
Through eight games, the Nittany Lion newcomers have continued to make their mark, contributing 28 goals and 24 assists for 32 percent of the team's total point scoring this year.
At least one freshman has scored in all eight 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 five straight games, netting two in the win against No. 8 Harvard and tallying four assists against UMass.
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.
"The freshmen made an immediate impact," Tambroni said following the win over Robert Morris. "For Grant Ament and Chris Sabia to come out here and play with the poise that they did, says a lot about their character and a lot about the guys around them too."
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 two games this season.
SOLIDIFYING THE ATTACK UNIT
Penn State's starting attack unit consisting of veterans TJ Sanders and Nick Aponte and freshman Grant Ament has combined for 41 goals and 40 assists, for 50 percent of the team's total point-scoring this year.
Leading the team with 18 goals, Sanders has proven to be the top goal scorer among the trio, with Ament and Aponte posting at least 10 goals and 10 assists, serving as a duo that can successfully distribute and finish.
In the last three games, the trio has logged 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 of the team's 64 points during the stretch with Sanders and Aponte putting away at least two goals in two of the last three games. All three are averaging at least three points per game on the year.
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 out of the Top 20 in both polls, but is still receiving votes.
The Nittany Lions opened the season receiving votes in both polls and earned a No. 20/19 ranking two months ago, before moving up to No. 15/12 slot last month. PSU was slotted 20/18 three weeks ago, before spending last week ranked No. 20 after another 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 remains on the road next week, traveling 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.