UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's lacrosse team announced it's 2017 schedule on Monday afternoon, with the squad competing in 14 regular season games and two exhibitions, highlighted by 10 total contests played at home.
"Our program is super excited about the 2017 schedule," seventh season head coach Jeff Tambroni said about the upcoming slate of games. "Ever since we transitioned into the Big Ten a few years ago its presented opportunities and challenges for our program in trying to figure out the correct blend between conference and non-conference games. It's been exciting, but it's been a real challenge - its one that our guys are really excited about and I think it's a part of why our recruits have been interested in being a part of the Big Ten."
Of the 14 regular season opponents PSU will face, five finished the 2016 season ranked among the Nike/Lacrosse Magazine Top-20 rankings (Maryland, No. 2; Rutgers, No. 14; Johns Hopkins, No. 15; Villanova, No. 17; Harvard, No. 18). In addition to the five that received rankings, Hobart, who the Nittany Lions will also face in 2017, were considered when naming the top 20 teams in 2016.
Penn State opens 2017 with a pair of exhibition games against two of the best service academies in the country. The unofficial start to the season for Penn State will be Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. as the Blue and White take on Navy at home. PSU will face Army one week later on Jan. 28 at the same time in University Park, Pennsylvania, to round out the team's exhibition slate.
The Nittany Lions will kick off its 2017 schedule officially on Feb. 4, hosting Robert Morris at 3 p.m. The team then alternates road and home weekends for the next three games. Penn State heads to Victor, New York to face Hobart on Feb. 11 before returning home to face Cornell on Feb. 18 at noon. Penn State finds itself in Villanova, Pennsylvania to face the Wildcats of Villanova on Feb. 25.
Penn State closes out its non-conference portion of the schedule with four of its final five games at home. The Nittany Lions host Penn on March 4 at noon before a quick turnaround pits the team against the Furman Paladins just three days later, also beginning at noon. The team will make a one-day road trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to take on Harvard on March 11 before returning home for its final two home games of the out-of-conference slate in Fairfield (March 18, noon) and Cleveland State (March 25, noon).
PSU opens league play hosting the Buckeyes of Ohio State for one of its two Sunday games of the season on April 2 at 7 p.m. The Nittany Lions then take to the road for back-to-back matchups with Maryland (April 8, TBD) and Johns Hopkins (April 15, TBD). Penn State will welcome Rutgers to the Penn State Lacrosse Field for its second night game on April 23 at 7 p.m. before playing its regular-season finale in Ann Arbor, Michigan against the Michigan Wolverines on April 29.
The Big Ten Tournament will be played on May 4 and 6, with the highest-ranked seeds hosting the semifinal and championship games.
The 2017 team returns a host of players from the year prior including eight players who started each game of the 2016 season. Among the familiar names are last year's goals leader in senior Nick Aponte and the team's assists and points leader in sophomore Grant Ament. Penn State's primary defensive trio of Mike Aronow, Peter Triolo and Christopher Sabia all return along with last season's primary goalkeeper Will Schreiner.
The Nittany Lions will look to continuing its positive offensive trend in 2017, as the team scored nearly three more goals per game in 2016 from 2015.
2017 Penn State Men's Lacrosse Schedule
DATE TIME OPPONENT LOCATION
Jan 21 (Sat) 11:00 AM Navy (Scrimmage) University Park, Penn.
Jan 28 (Sat) 11:00 AM Army (Scrimmage) University Park, Penn.
Feb 04 (Sat) 3:00 PM Robert Morris University Park, Penn.
Feb 11 (Sat) TBD Hobart Victor, N.Y.
Feb 18 (Sat) 12:00 PM Cornell University Park, Penn.
Feb 25 (Sat) TBD Villanova Villanova, Penn.
Mar 04 (Sat) 12:00 PM Penn University Park, Penn.
Mar 07 (Tue) 12:00 PM Furman University Park, Penn.
Mar 11 (Sat) TBD Harvard Cambridge, Mass.
Mar 18 (Sat) 12:00 PM Fairfield University Park, Penn.
Mar 25 (Sat) 12:00 PM Cleveland State University Park, Penn.
Apr 02 (Sun) 7:00 PM Ohio State University Park, Penn.
Apr 08 (Sat) TBD Maryland College Park, Md.
Apr 15 (Sat) TBD Johns Hopkins Baltimore, Md.
Apr 23 (Sun) 7:00 PM Rutgers University Park, Penn.
Apr 29 (Sat) TBD Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.
May 04 (Thu) TBD Big Ten Semifinals TBD
May 06 (Sat) TBD Big Ten Championship TBD
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