Feb. 17, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 11/11 Penn State men's lacrosse willl look to improve to 3-0 on the young 2017 campaign this Saturday, Feb. 18 at noon ET, as the Nittany Lions square off with the Big Red of Cornell at the Penn State Lacrosse Field.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans not in attendance can follow live stats and @PennStateMLAX on Twitter for live updates throughout the game.
PARKING AND ATTENDING AT THE PENN STATE LACROSSE FIELD
Admission and parking for men's lacrosse regular season events are free. With Penn State's annual THON event taking place during the game, fans are asked to park in the reserved lower section of Lot 44 closest to the Penn State multisport facility for the game. Fans are reminded that there is a no bag policy in place.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
Penn State will host on of its 2017 Cub Club days as the Nittany Lions face Cornell. Cub Club members will have the opportunity to stand with the team for the national anthem and should report to the marketing table for more details at the game.
NITTANY LIONS WIN SHOOTOUT AT HOBART
Penn State put on a clinic on the offensive end in its most recent game against Hobart, with the Nittany Lions posting a 21-15 victory in their second win of the season.
- Following the second week of play, Penn State's 21 goals and 34 points were the second most in a game during the 2017 season. Penn State's 13 assist output was the third most nationally.
- The Penn State outputs for goals (21), assists (13) and points (34) all ranked second in single game marks during the Tambroni era.
- Eleven different Nittany Lions broke a total 17 career marks in the game against Hobart.
- Four Penn State players in Grant Ament, Kevin Hill, Mac O'Keefe and Nick Spillane each scored four goals during the outing. It was the first time during the Tambroni era that four player scored four or more goals in the same game.
ARCERI, O'KEEFE EARN B1G WEEKLY HONORS
For the second straight week, Penn State men's lacrosse took home half of the Big Ten's weekly awards, as the league office announced its honorees Tuesday afternoon. Freshman midfielder Gerard Arceri was named Big Ten Specialist of the Week, while freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe earned his second Freshman of the Week honor in as many weeks.
- Arceri was tabbed the Specialist of the Week following another impressive performance at the faceoff "x". The rookie went 22-of-31 on faceoffs while collecting a team-best 10 groundballs in Penn State's most recent win over Hobart.
- O'Keefe repeated as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, matching his point output from his collegiate debut. The Syosset, New York, native, logged seven points on four goals and three assists in Penn State's 21-15 victory in Victor, New York.
PENN STATE THRIVING ON OFFENSE EARLY
Through its first two games, Penn State's offense has looked as impressive as advertised, with the Nittany Lions ranking among the nation's best on the offensive end.
- Of the over 70 Division I programs, Penn State finds itself among the top three in four major offensive statistical categories: points/game (second), goals/game (second), assists/game (second) and shooting percentage (third).
- Freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe leads the country in goals per game (5.50) and is third nationally in points per game (7.00). Sophomore midfielder Kevin Hill's two man-up goals lead Division I through two weeks.
LIONS DOMINANT AT THE FACEOFF "X"
Penn State's early success on the offensive end has stemmed from stellar play at the faceoff "x", creating opportunities for the offense to thrive.
- Penn State ranks fifth in the country in both faceoff win percentage (.706) and groundballs per game (38.00) following the second week of play. Both figures lead the Big Ten.
- Freshman midfielder and faceoff man Gerard Arceri ranks sixth nationally in faceoff percentage (.705) and third in groundballs per game (11.50). Both lead the Big Ten as well.
TAMBRONI EARNS WIN 50 AT PENN STATE
Nittany Lions head coach Jeff Tambroni earned his 50th win of his Penn State career on Dec. 11 at Hobart.
- Entering the 2017 season, Tambroni ranked ninth in win percentage among active Division I coaches (.662) and 13th in overall wins (157).
- Tambroni will became just the fifth active Division I coach with 50 or more wins at multiple DI institutions.
50-PLUS WINS AT TWO DIVISION I SCHOOLS
Active Coaches
| # | Name | Total Wins | School 1 (Wins) | School 2 (Wins) |
| 1 | John Danowski | 372 | Hofstra (192) | Duke (153) |
| 2 | Bill Tierney | 370 | Princeton (234) | Denver (97) |
| 3 | Mike Pressler | 340 | Duke (153) | Bryant (74) |
| 4 | Joe Bresch | 188 | Ohio State (92) | North Carolina (96) |
| 5 | Jeff Tambroni | 159 | Cornell (109) | Penn State (50) |
SCOUTING THE BIG RED
Penn State takes on Cornell in its third game of the 2017 season, while Saturday's matchup will serve as the season opener for the Big Red. Cornell went 6-7 in 2016, splitting their final four games of the season.
- Cornell returns two of its top three scorers from the previous season in sophomore Colton Rupp (23-1-4) and senior Ryan Bray (18-3-21). Cornell also returns its leading assistman from 2016 in sophomore Ryan Bray (9-13-22).
- Cornell returns seven of its 10 starters from the season before.
- Penn State's last five games against Cornell have been decided by three or fewer goals. In Penn State's 2001-03 matchups, Tambroni was the coach of the Big Red.
PENN STATE LAST FIVE vs. CORNELL
| Date | Winner | H/A | Score |
| 2/20/16 | Penn State | A | 8-7 |
| 3/15/03 | Cornell | A | 9-8 |
| 3/16/02 | Cornell | H | 11-9 |
| 3/17/01 | Penn State | A | 8-7 |
| 5/26/61 | Cornell | A | 11-8 |
APONTE'S STREAKING
Following the second weekend of play, senior
attackman Nick Aponte holds one of the longest statistical streaks in the country.
- After logging an assist against the Statesmen last weekend, Aponte has recorded at least one point in each of his last 34 contests, dating back to April 5, 2014.
- Aponte's streak is good for 11th in the country. Vermont junior Ian MacKay leads the country with 46 consecutive games registering at least one point, dating back to Feb. 22, 2014.
NATIONAL POINT SCORING STREAK 2017
Active Players
| No. | Games | Player, School, Year, Position | G-A-P during streak | Streak started |
| 1. | 46 | Ian MacKay, Vermont, Jr. , M | 111-60-171 | 2/22/14 |
| 2. | 42 | Michael LeClair, High Point, Jr., A | 65-63-128 | 3/8/14 |
| 42 | Connor Cannizarro, Denver, Jr., A | 118-61-179 | 4/19/14 | |
| 4. | 40 | Matt Rambo, Maryland, Sr., A | 86-54-140 | 2/14/15 |
| 40 | Jack Bruckner, Duke, Sr., A | 99-32-131 | 3/26/14 | |
| 11. | 34 | Nick Aponte, Penn State, Sr., A | 47-37-84 | 4/5/14 |
PENN STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Penn State finds itself in the national rankings again after the second week of action. Penn State climbed four spots in the USILA Coaches Poll and three spots in the Maverik Media Poll, coming in at No. 11 in both.
APONTE NAMED 2017 CAPTAIN
Senior attackman Nick Aponte was named the 2017 squad's lone team captain in October.
- Tambroni on Aponte: "Our staff is very happy for Nick and optimistic about the path that he will forge for our team as a leader. He has earned the support and confidence of his teammates and coaches through his competence, tireless work ethic and compassion for this team."
- Aponte is just the second player to be a stand-alone team captain in Tambroni's tenure, the other being Kyle Zittel. Before Zittel, the last solo captain was Jon Poole in 1978.
APONTE, AMENT, SABIA NAMED BIG TEN PRESEASON HONOREES
The Big Ten announced its preseason honorees on Jan. 30, with Nick Aponte, Grant Ament and sophomore defender Chris Sabia earning recognition for the Nittany Lions.
- Aponte and Ament both garnered postseason Big Ten honors last season, with Aponte becoming PSU's first ever unanimous All-Big Ten first team selection, while Ament earned All-Big Ten honorable mention.
- Ament and Sabia were the only two freshmen to start every game in the 2016 season. Ament led the team in assists (34) and points (54), while Sabia finished second on the team in caused turnovers (12) and ground balls (26).
APONTE, AMENT NAMED IL PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORABLE MENTION
Penn State's standout attack duo of Nick Aponte and Grant Ament earned preseason All-America honorable mentions from Inside Lacrosse as a part of the publication's Face-Off Yearbook.
- Aponte and Ament were two of 47 players to earn preseason All-America honorable mention distinctions.
- Aponte finished the season strong, logging four goals in the final four games of the 2016 season.
- Ament led the team in assists in 2016 with 34 - the most assists in a single season since John Hollerbach logged 38 in 1989.
HOGAN CLAIMS SUPER BOWL LI RING
Penn State men's lacrosse finds itself in the headlines in late January following a breakout performance from former Nittany Lion midfield standout and current New England Patriots wide receiver Chris Hogan.
- Hogan played four seasons as a midfielder for Penn State, in which he registered 57 goals and 14 assists for 71 career points.
- Hogan sustained an injury three games into his sophomore season (2008) in which he scored a pair of goals. Hogan was granted a medical redshirt, which he chose to use at Monmouth University after graduating from Penn State, where he played wide receiver and defensive back for the Hawks.
- Hogan's breakout performance came during the AFC Championship game in which he pulled in nine catches for 180 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His 180 receiving yards were a franchise postseason single game record. He recorded four catches for 57 yards in the Patriots 34-28 OT win over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
- Hogan is the only member of Penn State men's lacrosse to ever play in the NFL or win a Super Bowl. Thirty-nine total Nittany Lions have now claimed 56 Super Bowl rings, with Hogan being the most recent player to do so.
ARCERI, O'KEEFE AND WRIGHT COMPETE WITH TEAM USA
Freshmen Gerard Arceri and Mac O'Keefe and sophomore Tommy Wright represented Team USA over the summer of 2016 as a part of the 27-man U19 roster.
- The Penn State trio earned the gold medals with the team, marking Team USA's eighth U19 world championship. O'Keefe scored a team-high two goals and added an assist. Arceri saw time, but Wright was sidelined with an injury for USA's 13-12 win over Canada.
- Penn State was also represented by associate head coach Peter Toner, who served as an assistant coach for the USA U19 team. Head coach Jeff Tambroni serves as an assistant for the USA national team, while assistant coach Chris Doctor served as an assistant for the Iroquois national team from 2013-14.
- Four players on Penn State's current roster have played for the USA U19 team. Redshirt senior Matt Florence played with the USA U19 team in 2012 en route to the team's seventh world championship with a 10-8 win vs. Canada.
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