Feb. 25, 2017
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VILLANOVA, Pa. -- No. 9 Penn State men's lacrosse moved to 4-0 to open the season for the first time since 1992 on Saturday afternoon, as the Nittany Lions defeated Villanova, 17-12, at Villanova Stadium.
The Penn State offense continued to click, with freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe leading the way once again. O'Keefe set a new freshman scoring record, pouring in eight goals -- the third most in a Penn State game all-time. O'Keefe's new record broke the previous record that he set in the first week of 2017 with seven goals.
Sophomore attackman Grant Ament logged his second game of 2017 with three or more goals, logging seven total points with a three-goal, four assist outing. Senior attackman Nick Aponte rounded out the attack unit's production with two goals and two assists. With his first goal, Aponte reached the 50-career goal milestone, joining classmate Mike Sutton as the only two Penn State players with 50-plus career goals.
Midfielder Nick Spillane posted a pair of goals and tied for a team-best three assists in the win, while senior midfielder Dan Craig logged his second goal of the season. Freshman faceoff man Gerard Arceri also added a goal, while midfielders Sutton, Kevin Hill and Nick McEvoy all added assists.
Freshman goalkeeper Colby Kneese earned his third straight start in goal while logging his fourth win of the season. The rookie logged a season-best 18 saves, good for the third most in single game during the Jeff Tambroni era.
Arceri continued to impress at the faceoff "x", going 17-of-32 on faceoffs.
The Nittany Lions converted on half of their man-up opportunities, with O'Keefe scoring three man-up goals while Spillane added one. The team excelled moving the ball in transition, going a perfect 13-of-13 on clear attempts.
Penn State returns to the field on Saturday, March 4, as the Nittany Lions play host to Penn at noon.
The Turning Point
O'Keefe scored his first goal of the game with 6:15 left to go in the first on a feed from Ament. The score jump started a 6-0 run into the second quarter, with O'Keefe being responsible for four of the six goals.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- Mac O'Keefe -- O'Keefe set a new freshman record for goals in a game, logging a game-high eight goals on 11 shots. The eight goals are the third most in a single game for Penn State,
- Grant Ament -- Ament supplemented O'Keefe's production, adding seven points on three goals and four assists in Penn State's five-goal victory.
- Colby Kneese - Kneese logged his fourth win of 2017 behind an 18-save performance, marking the third most saves in a single game in the Jeff Tambroni era.
Villanova
- Jack Curran -- Curran led the way for the Wildcats, scoring four goals on 10 shots and added an assist.
- Jake Froccaro -- Froccaro went 6-of-10 from the faceoff "x" while adding a pair of assists for Villanova.
By Quarters
First Quarter
Villanova kicked off the scoring with Kuhl earning an unassisted goal. Penn State fired back, with O'Keefe scoring a pair of goals, both off passes from Ament in quick succession. Freshman goaltender Colby Kneese racked up six saves in the opening frame.
Penn State 2, Villanova 1
Second Quarter
O'Keefe refused to slow down in the second, ripping a shot into the back of the net for his third of the day with 13:40 left in the period. Craig logged his second goal of the season on a feed from Keenan to give Penn State a three-goal lead less than three minutes later. O'Keefe registered his fourth goal of the day under a minute later. Spillane scored on a quick pass from Aponte before Villanova responded with a score of their own. The score started a 3-0 run for the Wildcats. O'Keefe poured in his fifth goal of the day before Villanova tightened the gap to a two-goal game heading into the locker room.
Penn State 7, Villanova 5
Third Quarter
O'Keefe scored his sixth goal of the day under two minutes into the third. Villanova responded before Arceri scored off the next faceoff. Villanova scored at the 9:50 mark before Ament and Spillane tacked on a pair of goals within 30 seconds of each other. After a Wildcat score, Ament put up his second goal of the game to kick start a 3-0 run. Aponte scored his 50th goal of his career on a feed from Ament before scoring one of his own to round out the quarter.
Penn State 14, Villanova 8
Fourth Quarter
Villanova scored three times in the first half of the fourth quarter. O'Keefe fired back with a pair of goals, as Keenan and Sutton provided assists, setting a new freshman record. Aponte added an unassisted goal with three minutes remaining. Villanova added a score with a minute and a half left in the game before Penn State claimed the five-goal victory.
Penn State 17, Villanova 12
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