March 17, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In a back-and-forth game, the No. 2/3 Penn State men's lacrosse team made program history on Friday afternoon at the Penn State lacrosse field, defeating visiting Fairfield (2-5), 9-8, for its eighth straight win of the season.
With the 8-0 start, the 2017 team has had the best start in program history, topping that of the 1992 team (7-0). The eight wins mark tie the 2016 team's output and mark the most since the 2013 season in which Penn State went 12-5 while going undefeated in Colonial Athletic Association play for Penn State's third ever NCAA tournament appearance.
The game came down to the wire, with Fairfield holding a one-score lead with just over eight minutes left to play. Freshman faceoff man Gerard Arceri won the ensuing faceoff and sprinted downfield before finding the back of the net to tie. After winning the following faceoff, the Stags turned the ball over when a clear gave Penn State the chance to take the lead. After a pair of wide shots, senior midfielder Mike Sutton ran from behind the goal out to the left wing where he fired home the game-winning goal.
The Nittany Lions and Stags tied five times and saw the lead change seven times in the one-goal Penn State victory.
Senior captain Nick Aponte led the way for the Nittany Lions, scoring a pair of goals and logging an assist in the win. Classmate midfielder Matt Florence also logged a pair of goals in the win.
Freshman Mac O'Keefe was the only other Penn State player to log a multi-point game, with a goal and an assist in the win. With his 30th goal of the season, O'Keefe has matched the best single-player goal scoring contribution from last season, when Aponte scored 30 to lead the Nittany Lions.
Arceri, Sutton, midfielder Ryan Keenan and attackman Grant Ament each tallied a goal as well.
At the faceoff 'x', Arceri went 10-of-17, while Lombardi converted three of his four opportunists. In the cage, freshman goalie Colby Kneese made a major impact with 12 saves while allowing just eight goals in his eighth win of the season.
Penn State returns to action on Saturday, March 25, hosting Cleveland State (3-6) in the final non-conference game of the regular season. First faceoff is set for noon.
The Turning Point
With the game knotted up, Sutton made dodged from behind the goal to bury the ball into the side netting for the game-winning goal with 3:07 left to play.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- Nick Aponte - Penn State's captain stepped up when needed, finishing with a team-best three points on a pair of goals and an assist.
- Mike Sutton - Sutton scored the game winning goal, beating his defender and solidifying the win for the Nittany Lions.
- Colby Kneese - Kneese had a strong outing, allowing the fewest number of goals in a 60-minute performance this season for the Nittany Lions. He had 12 saves, including a big stop late in the fourth to give Penn State possession to ride out the remaining time.
Fairfield
- Colin Burke - Burke led the Fairfield offense and found the back of the net a game-best four times to guide the Stags' offense.
- Tyler Behring - The Stags' netminder put together a strong performance, stopping the ball 14 times with plenty of highlight-reel saves.
By Quarters
First Quarter
Fairfield did well at the faceoff 'x' to open the game, scoring the first goal of the game just under five minutes in. After a save around the 7:30 mark, a fast break for the Nittany Lions resulted in Aponte's first score of the fame. A pair of late Fairfield goals gave the Stags a two-goal lead after the first 15 minutes.
Penn State 1, Fairfield 3
Second Quarter
The majority of the second half was a stalemate, with both defenses denying goal scorers on either end. Penn State was the first team to score in the second, beginning with O'Keefe behind the net. The freshman scoped the field before kicking the ball to Florence who buried the shot in the back of the net with 1:56 remaining. With 14 seconds left on the clock, Ament lost his defender on a dodge from behind the net, scoring the narrow-angle shot for the tying score.
Penn State 3, Fairfield 3
Third Quarter
Fairfield scored first in the third period with 11:54 on the clock. Keenan answered the call, darting to the left side before ripping the shot. Fairfield responded before O'Keefe scored his 30th goals of the season from the right wing. The score began a 3-0 run for the Nittany Lions, with Florence scoring his second goal of the day on a pass from Aponte on the left. Aponte scored 22 seconds later to leave the third quarter with a two-goal lead.
Penn State 7, Fairfield 5
Fourth Quarter
Fairfield would not go down quietly, scoring three times in the fourth to take a one-goal lead. Arceri responded with a goal off the faceoff before Sutton's game-winner. A big stop from Kneese with 1:05 left allowed for the clear before Penn State rode out the time against a frenzied defense for their eighth win of the season.
Penn State 9, Fairfield 8
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