March 4, 2016
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 20 Penn State men's lacrosse (3-1) hits the road for a pair of spring break matchups, beginning with a trip to Penn (1-1) Saturday, March 5. Opening faceoff between the Nittany Lions and the Quakers is set for noon at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.
SETTING THE SCENE
- The Nittany Lions moved to 3-1 on the year after falling short in a 19-9 loss to Villanova at home last week. Despite the outcome, freshman Kevin Hill led the team with his first two collegiate goals to mark his first multi-goal game.
- The all-time series between Penn State and Penn is one of the oldest in program history, dating back to the Nittany Lions' first varsity season in 1913. Penn State owns a 23-13-1 advantage in the all-time series and is set to travel to Penn for the first time since 1975.
- The Nittany Lions and the Quakers met fairly regularly from 1923 to 1977, but renewed the in-state rivalry for the first time in nearly 40 years in last year's 2015 meeting, with Penn State capturing a 14-11 win in the most recent outing.
- Since entering both the USILA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Polls, the Nittany Lions have made significant movement in the poll. This week, Penn State slid to No. 20 in the Coaches Poll and No. 18 via Inside Lacrosse.
- A total of nine Nittany Lions have registered at least three goals this season, led by 10 from senior TJ Sanders. Redshirt junior Matt Florence while freshman Grant Ament has six.
- With a team-high 10 assists, Ament's 2.50 per game ranks 10th nationally. Among nine NCAA DI players with at least 10 assists, Ament's 10-2 assist-to-turnover ratio is tops nationally
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE QUAKERS
SCOUTING PENN
The Quakers enter the matchup with a 1-1 record on the year, having fell to then-No. 11 Virginia,15-10 on the road last week. Prior to the loss, Penn opened the season with a 12-10 win over Michigan. The Quakers returned eight starters this year, including senior Nick Doktor, who's presently on a 29-game point-scoring streak that dates back to 2014. Doktor is leading the team with five points on the year, having registered three goals and two assists in the first two outings.
| Last Three vs. Penn |
| 2/28/2015 | W, 14-11 | H |
| 5/7/1977 | L, 24-10 | H |
| 5/7/1976 | W, 20-13 | H |
SERIES HISTORY vs. PENN
The all-time series between Penn State and Penn is one of the oldest in program history, dating back to the Nittany Lions' first varsity season in 1913. Penn State owns a 23-13-1 advantage in the all-time series and is set to travel to Penn for the first time since 1975. The Nittany Lions and the Quakers met fairly regularly from 1923 to 1977, but renewed the in-state rivalry for the first time in nearly 40 years in 2015. Last year, Penn State upset then No.16/11 Penn, 14-11 for its first win over a ranked opponent in 2015.
SHARING THE LOVE
Having notched at least five per outing, Penn State is averaging 8.75 assists per game, which ranks eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten conference.
Grant Ament and Nick Aponte are leading the team with at least one assist in all four games this season. Ament dished out at least two assists in the first three consecutive outings this year. With a team-high 10 assists, his 2.50 per game ranks 10th nationally and third in the Big Ten. Among nine NCAA DI players with at least 10 assists, Ament's 10-2 assist-to-turnover ratio is tops nationally.
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.
GOALS ON GOALS ON GOALS
Penn State is outscoring its opponents 54-45 on the year, with a scoring offense that's ranked 12th nationally and second in the Big Ten conference, averaging 13.50 goals per game.
The Nittany Lions' 54 goals to date are the most since Penn State totaled 58 in the first three games of the 1995 season - where PSU also had a 3-1 record after the first four weeks of the season. 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.
FRESHMAN INFLUENCE
Through four games, the Nittany Lion newcomers have continued to make their mark, contributing 17 goals and 15 assists for nearly 32 percent of the team's total goal-scoring on the year.
Despite the outcome, Kevin Hill logged his first multi-goal outing with a pair of goals against Villanova. Jimmy Nowoswiat and Robby Black also posted a pair of goals for their second on the year.
In the road-win at Cornell, Grant Ament logged his third multi-assist outing, leading the team with two helpers. Kevin Fox also tallied one goal during the Nittany Lions' 5-0 third-quarter surge.
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.
"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."
LAST TIME OUT: PENN STATE FALLS TO VILLANOVA
No. 15/12 Penn State came up short in a 19-9 decision against Villanova Saturday afternoon at the Penn State Lacrosse Field.
Freshman Kevin Hill led the team with two goals, registering his first two career goals in his first multi-goal outing. Freshmen Jimmy Nowoswiatand Robby Black also logged a pair of goals for their second on the year, while juniors Dan Craig and Mike Sutton also added one. Freshman Grant Ament, senior TJ Sanders and junior Nick Aponte all posted one goal and one assist for two points apiece.
Ament and senior Tommy O'Neill tied for first on the team, scooping up three ground balls each. Senior Peter Triolo finished with two ground balls, while also causing a team-high two turnovers.
Villanova held a 26-32 advantage at the faceoff x, helped out by Luke Palmedesso, who finished 22-for-27 for the Wildcats.
Penn State trailed for the most of the first two quarters of the game until Hill's first goal of the afternoon trimmed the deficit to two, 5-3 with 6:20 remaining in the half. The Nittany Lions could not mount the comeback as Villanova scored eight goals in the third quarter to pull ahead by as many as 10 before taking the game, 19-9.
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 slid to No. 20 in the Coaches Poll and No. 18 via Inside Lacrosse.
The Nittany Lions opened the season receiving votes in both polls and earned a No. 20/19 ranking two weeks ago, before moving up to No. 15/12 last week. 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.
Including Penn State, five of six Big Ten teams are either ranked or receiving votes in both polls. Maryland and Johns Hopkins are also ranked within the top 15 of each poll.
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.
UP NEXT
Penn State remains on the road, heading south to continue its spring break trip. The Nittany Lions travel to Greenville, South Carolina to square off against Furman in a weekday matchup set for Tuesday, March 8. Opening faceoff between the Nittany Lions and the Paladins is set for noon at Paladin Stadium.
| SEASON NOTES |
BIG TEN NETWORK ANNOUNCES 2016 TV SLATE
Penn State men's lacrosse is set for six appearances live on national television during the 2016 season, as announced by the Big Ten conference this morning. The Big Ten Network has announced that it will broadcast more than 65 men's and women's lacrosse games in 2016, while also providing live coverage of both the 2016 Big Ten Men's and Women's Lacrosse Tournaments. Including two showings on ESPNU, all of Penn State's Big Ten conference matchups will appear on TV during the 2016 season.
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.