March 25, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The top-ranked Penn State men's lacrosse team (9-0) went undefeated through non-conference play for the first time ever on Saturday afternoon following a 15-8 win over visiting Cleveland State (3-7) in front of 2,112 cheering fans at the Penn State Lacrosse Field.
The Nittany Lions' benchmark of undefeated non-conference play dates back to 2000 when Penn State joined the ECAC before transitioning to the CAA and eventually the Big Ten. The 9-0 start continues the best start to a season in program history. Ten consecutive wins in a season marks the best by any Penn State team; the 2013 squad holds the record.
Penn State saw contributions from all over the field, with 10 players tallying points in the game.
The attacking trio of senior Nick Aponte, sophomore Grant Ament and freshman Mac O'Keefe paced the offensive production.
Ament led the Penn State with six points on four goals and a pair of assists, marking the fourth game this season in which the Doylestown, Pennsylvania native has accounted for six or more points.
O'Keefe continued to be a goal-scoring threat, logging four scores in the game. With 34 goals this season, O'Keefe moves to third in single-season goals during head coach Jeff Tambroni's tenure. His 34 goals are 10-shy of the single-season freshman record, held by TJ Sanders.
Aponte rounded out the performance with a three-goal, two-assist outing. The senior logged his 41st-straight game tallying a point, the seventh longest streak of its kind nationally.
Outside of the attack trio, sophomore midfielder Nick Spillane added a multi-point game in which he contributed a pair of assists.
Four Penn State players added a goal in the seven-point win. Senior midfielder Mike Sutton, sophomore midfielder Kevin Hill, sophomore attackman Jimmy Nowoswiat and freshman attackman Conor Smith all added goals. Smith and senior midfielders Dan Craig and Drake Kreinz each added assists. Nowoswiat and Kreinz logged their first goal and assist of the season, respectively. Smith's helper was the first of his career.
On the defensive end, freshman Colby Kneese logged his ninth win of the season after making 10 saves in just over 48 minutes of action. Junior Will Schreiner and sophomore Trevor Scollins both saw action between the pipes as well, with Scollins recording his first two saves of 2017. The Nittany Lions defense forced six turnovers, as freshman Nick Cardile forced a pair while Matt Donnelly, Matthew Fisher and Tommy Wright added one as well.
Penn State won 20 of the 26 faceoffs thanks to the combined efforts of freshman Gerard Arceri (17-21, 11 GB) and senior Billy Lombardi (3-5, 2 GB).
Of the 42 players on Penn State's roster, 36 saw playing time against the Vikings .
Penn State begins the conference slate next Sunday, April 2, at 7 p.m., when the Nittany Lions host undefeated Ohio State (9-0) at Penn State Lacrosse Field. The game is set for national broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
The Turning Point
Penn State made sure to own the momentum from the jump, with each of its starting attackmen in Ament, Aponte and O'Keefe logging goals in the first three minutes of play.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- Grant Ament - Ament posted a team-best six points on four goals and two assists. The sophomore had no trouble creating offense on his own, with three of his four goals coming unassisted.
- Mac O'Keefe - O'Keefe continued to show why he is one of the nation's premier goal-scorers, finding the back of the net four times in during the game.
- Faceoff unit - Arceri and Lombardi played a large role in the Nittany Lions' success, winning 77 percent of the faceoffs to help Penn State to the seven-goal win.
- Groundball game - The Nittany Lions claimed most of the 50-50 balls, winning the battle for loose balls by 13, leading the category wire-to-wire.
Cleveland State
- Vikings midfield - Cleveland State's midfield provided a spark for the Vikings, as Stephen Masi, Nick Wendel and Noah Gleeson combined for four goals and a pair of assists
- Man-up unit - The Vikings took advantage of Penn State's five penalties, going 3-of-6 on man-up opportunities.
By Quarters
First Quarter
Penn State opened the first quarter with a quick trio of goals, courtesy of each of its starting attackmen in the first three minutes. O'Keefe struck first on a quick pass from Aponte. Aponte then buried one of his own on a kick out from Ament. Less than a minute later Aponte returned the favor, dishing the ball to Ament on a fast break for the score. Cleveland State responded with a man-up goal to make it 3-1 at the 10:02 mark. Less than 30 seconds later, Ament hit a pump fake before scoring his second goal of the day. Cleveland State scored with just over two minutes left to wrap up the first quarter scoring.
Penn State 4, Cleveland State 2
Second Quarter
Hill scored his 11th goal of the 2017 campaign, humming the ball past the goalie roughly five minutes in. Penn State found the back of the net again with 7:20 left in the quarter, as Aponte scored his second of the game. Just 16 seconds later O'Keefe made it a 3-0 run, as Kreinz found the rookie for a one-on-one opportunity with Cleveland State's goalie. Cleveland State scored twice before Penn State headed to the locker room with a three-goal lead.
Penn State 7, Cleveland State 4
Third Quarter
Cleveland State logged its third consecutive goal to open the third frame. With the two-goal lead, Penn State opened a 4-0 run over the course of the third quarter. The streak began as Craig swung the ball from the right side to O'Keefe, who posted his third score of the day. Ament then logged back-to-back goals, dodging from behind the net for both scores. O'Keefe scored again with 28 seconds left in the quarter, as a stumbling Spillane got the pass off, allowing O'Keefe to rip the shot into the back of the net.
Penn State 11, Cleveland State 5
Fourth Quarter
Cleveland State capitalized on a man-up opportunity to open scoring in the fourth. Penn State then scored it's flashiest goal of the game, as Ament whipped a behind-the-back pass to find Aponte for the easy score. Sutton made it a seven-goal advantage with 13:15 left on the clock, rifling the shot from distance on an assist from Smith. Gleeson logged his second goal of the day for CSU before Spillane kicked the ball to Smith who scored his first goal of the day on a point-blank shot. Nowoswiat wrapped around the goal for his first score of the season before a late man-up goal from the Vikings closed the gap to seven at the end of the game.
Penn State 15, Cleveland State 8
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