March 16, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 2 Penn State men's lacrosse (7-0) looks to go 8-0 top open a season for the first time in program history as the Nittany Lions are set to face Fairfield (2-4) Friday, March 17, at 4 p.m. ET. The game is set for national broadcast on ESPNU.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow all the action with the live broadcast on ESPNU. The game is also available via online stream and also follow the action with in addition to following live coverage on Twitter (@PennStateMLAX).
ATTENDING PENN STATE LACROSSE FIELD
Admission and parking for men's lacrosse regular season events are free. Fans are reminded that there is a no bag policy in place.
PENN STATE MATCHES BEST START WITH WIN OVER HARVARD
The Nittany Lions continued to take care of business on March 11, moving to 7-0 on the season following a 15-12 win over previously undefeated Harvard.
- At 7-0, Penn State matched the best start to a season in program history, with the 1992 team the only other one to start a season with seven consecutive wins.
- Penn State is one of just five schools nationally to remain undefeated midway through the season, along with Ohio State (8-0), Rutgers (6-0), Boston U (6-0) and Hofstra (5-0).
- Hat tricks from senior Matt Florence and freshman Mac O'Keefe led the way for Penn State in the 15 goal game, while Grant Ament, Nick Aponte and Ryan Keenan added three-point games.
- Sophomore defender Chris Sabia anchored the defense, logging a pair of groundballs and two takeaways in addition to recording his first career goal.
O'KEEFE, ARCERI NAMED TOP 10 IN INSIDE LACROSSE'S EARLY SEASON FRESHMAN RANKINGS
On March 15 Inside Lacrosse announced its early season rankings of freshmen nationally, with attackman Mac O'Keefe and midfielder Gerard Arceri both making the top 10 of the
- O'Keefe came in at No. 3 in Inside Lacrosse's rankings. The rookie leads the country in goals scored (29) and averages 4.17 per game, also the best in the country.
- Arceri ranked sixth among Division I's top freshman players. The faceoff specialist currently leads the Big Ten in both groundballs per game (10.41) and faceoff percentage (.688) Arceri's groundball figures lead the nation, while his 68.8 percent success rate on faceoffs rank second nationally. The rookie leads freshmen nationally in both categories.
ARCERI NAMED SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
For the third time during the 2017 season, freshman faceoff midfielder Gerard Arceri was named the Big Ten conference's Specialist of the Week on March 14.
- The freshman went 29-of-41 on faceoffs while scooping up 18 groundballs in the Nittany Lions' wins over Furman and Harvard. In Penn State's outing against Harvard, the rookie went 22-of-29 on faceoffs taking on three different faceoff men, while collecting 14 groundballs, one short of his career high.
HISTORY ON THE LINE
Penn State has an opportunity to record the best start in program history on Friday against Fairfield.
- The Nittany Lions matched its best start in program history on Saturday, March 11 with a 15-12 win over Harvard, moving to 7-0 on the season.
- The 1992 team is the only other team in program history to go 7-0.
OFFENSE AMONG NATION'S BEST
Through the first seven games they have played, the Nittany Lion offense continues to be one of the best in the nation statistically.
- Penn State is the nation's best shooting team in the country statistically as of March 15, firing the ball at a .407 clip.
- Of the over 70 Division I programs, Penn State finds itself also ranks among the top three in the country in scoring offense (second, 16.29 goals per game), points per game (third, 26.43) and assists per game (third, 10.14). Penn State leads the Big Ten in all four previously mentioned statistical categories.
ATTACK LINE AMONG LEADERS IN D1
Penn State's attack unit has been especially impressive so far, with the three attackmen starters of Grant Ament, Nick Aponte and Mac O'Keefe being one of the most potent units in Division I statistically.
- Ament and O'Keefe both rank among the top 10 in points scored nationally. O'Keefe leads the country in goals scored (29), while he and Ament's 4.57 points per game rank second the Big Ten and rank 16th nationally.
- Ament and senior Aponte both rank among the top 10 nationally in total assists. Ament's 16 assists are sixth in the country, while Aponte's 15 tie for ninth nationally. Ament and Aponte rank second and fourth respectively in assists per game within the Big Ten.
- As a unit, Penn State's starting attack line has produced the second most goals and points among starting attack lines. (CHART ON PAGE THREE OF GAME NOTES)
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 second in the country in faceoff win percentage (.697) and sixth in groundballs per game (35.14) following the fourth week of play. The faceoff percentage leads the Big Ten while the groundball figures rank second in the league.
- Freshman midfielder and faceoff man Gerard Arceri ranks second nationally in faceoff percentage (.688) and leads the country in groundballs per game (10.14). Both figures lead the Big Ten as well.
B1G OFF TO A HOT START
As a league, the Big Ten has been off to a hot start and looks to be one of the top conferences in the nation once again.
- Through March 16, as a conference teams went a combined 40-4, with its .909 win percentage the top among all Division I programs. (CHART ON PAGE THREE OF GAME NOTES)
O'KEEFE ON PACE TO SET NEW RECORDS
Freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe continues a hot stretch offensively, notching an astounding 29 goals through the first six games.
- With just one more goal over the duration of the season, O'Keefe would match Penn State's single-player high for goals from last season, as senior attackman Nick Aponte logged 30 in 2016.
- O'Keefe currently ranks second among freshman goal scorers during the Jeff Tambroni era, only behind former attackman TJ Sanders' rookie campaign, when he scored 44 in the 2013 season.
- O'Keefe's 29 goals aare tied for sixth in a single season in Jeff Tambroni's seven-season tenure at Penn State. The 29-goal mark is 11 short of cracking the program's top-10 single season leaderboard. (CHART ON PAGE FOUR OF GAME NOTES)
APONTE, AMENT STREAKING
At this point in the 2017 season, senior attackman Nick Aponte holds one of the longest statistical streaks in the country.
- After logging a goal and an assist against Harvard, Aponte has recorded at least one point in each of his last 39 contests, dating back to April 5, 2014.
- Aponte's streak is good for seventh in the country. Denver senior Connor Cannizarro lead the country with 47 consecutive games registering at least one point, dating back to Apr. 19, 2014.
- Sophomore attackman Grant Ament joined the exclusive group of players nationally with a scoring streak of 20 or more consecutive games following his three assist performance against Penn. The Doylestown, Pennsylvania, native is on a 22-game streak entering the game against Fairfield. (CHART ON PAGE FOUR OF GAME NOTES)
SCOUTING THE STAGS
Friday's game showcases Penn State and the Fairfield Stags on ESPNU. Fairfield will look to snap a two-game skid entering Friday's game with Penn State.
- The Stags offense is run through a young core in sophomore Colin Burke (10g, 6a), and freshmen Travis Ford (9g) and Dylan Beckwith (4g, 5a).
- Burke was also named to the Tewaaraton watch list along with Penn State captain Nick Aponte.
- Fairfield looks to snap its two-game losing streak on Friday after dropping a 11-10 decision to No. 15 Yale in OT. Head coach Jeff Tambroni is 1-0 all-time against Fairfield, dating back to his time with Cornell.
PENN STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Penn State rose again this week in the national polls, coming in at as a consensus top-3 selection.
- With its No. 2 ranking in the USILA coaches poll, Penn State is ranked within the top five for the third consecutive week. Two weeks prior marked the first time since March 10, 2014, that the team had cracked the top five when the team climbed to fifth in the national rankings.
- Penn State has now been ranked in 11 consecutive USILA coaches polls, the last time being unranked being March 21, 2016.
- The Nittany Lions reached first place in a poll for the first time this season, coming in at No. 1 in the US Lacrosse/Nike poll. The Nittany Lions earned five first place votes in the USILA coaches poll and recieved eight in the Maverik Media poll. (POLLS ON PAGE FOUR OF GAME NOTES)
APONTE NAMED TO TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
After a strong start to the 2017 season, senior attackman Nick Aponte was one of 50 players nationally to be named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on February 28.
- Aponte was named to the Watch List for the second straight season. He ranks tied for third on Penn State in points this season after leading the Nittany Lions in goals (30) last season.
- Players not named to the initial lists have several opportunities to play their way into a spot as the season progresses. Watch list additions, if applicable, will be announced on March 16 and April 6.
- On April 27, the field will be narrowed to 25 men's and 25 women's nominees. Nominees can be players on the watch lists or players not on the watch lists, effectively allowing for a third round of additions.
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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