April 2, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 2 Penn State men's lacrosse team (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) prevailed in Sunday night's top-five matchup, taking down No. 5 Ohio State (9-2, 0-1 Big Ten), 9-4, in front of a record-setting crowd of 3,172 at the Penn State Lacrosse Field.
The Nittany Lions' win extended the program's best start, with the team winning the first 10 games of the season. The 10 consecutive wins tied the program record for most wins in a row in a single season. It also marks the seventh time in program history that a PSU men's lacorsse team has reached double-figure wins.
The story of the day revolved around a staunch Nittany Lions defense and superior play in the cage. Penn State let in just four goals behind an incredible performance from freshman goaltender Colby Kneese. The rookie finished with 13 stops and a .765 save percentage. The defense did its part as well, combining for a season-high 12 caused turnovers. Sophomore defender Chris Sabia forced three Buckeyes miscues, while sophomore long stick midfielder Kevin Fox added a pair. Seven other players added takeaways.
On the offensive end, seniors Mike Sutton and Nick Aponte added multi-point performances. Sutton scored a pair of goals and leads Penn State with 69 career scores. Aponte scored once while tallying a pair of assists to pace the team with three points.
Six other Penn State players tallied goals in the game. Attackmen Grant Ament and Mac O'Keefe each scored a goal. O'Keefe stretched his goal-scoring streak to 10 consecutive games, best of any player on the team, while Ament's score prolonged his point-scoring streak to 25 consecutive games.
Midfielders Kevin Hill, Dan Craig and Nick Spillane each added goals in the outing. Redshirt senior Drake Kreinz followed one of his four faceoff victories with his first goal of the season and seventh of his career. Junior midfielder Ryan Keenan added an assist.
Penn State will look to make its win streak 11-in-a-row next Saturday, as the Nittany Lions head to College Park, Maryland to take on No. 9 Maryland (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten). The game is slated for a 1 p.m. faceoff and is set for national broadcast on Big Ten Network.
The Turning Point
After entering halftime with a one-goal lead, Kreinz won the faceoff to open the third quarter before sprinting down field and scoring for a 5-3 lead. The goal set up a three-goal run over the next five minutes to put Penn State in the driver's seat.
Difference Makers
Penn State
- Colby Kneese - The Nittany Lions' rookie goalie had an outstanding night, letting in just four goals on 35 shots faced. He made 13 saves and finished with a season-high .765 save percentage.
- Mike Sutton - Sutton logged a pair of goals at crucial points in the game, keeping the momentum going after Kreinz's goal to start the third quarter.
- Defensive unit - Penn State logged a season-best 12 caused turnovers, tying the fifth most in a single game during Jeff Tambroni's seven-season tenure in Happy Valley.
Ohio State
- Tre Leclaire - The reigning Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week posted a game-high two goals, good for half of the Buckeyes scores.
- Jake Withers - Withers became the first player to win the faceoff battle against Penn State this season, going 13-of-17 against the Nittany Lions at the dot.
By Quarters
First Quarter
The Nittany Lions were the first to find the back of the net just under two minutes in. Aponte wrapped around from the left side of the crease to bury the opening goal. Ohio State fired right back, as Withers fed Logan Maccani to score right after the faceoff win. Sutton responded at the 8:32 mark, picking off the top right corner to take a 2-1 lead. With 27 seconds left in the first Leclaire scored one of his two goals to round out the period.
Penn State 2, Ohio State 2
Second Quarter
Ohio State took a brief lead, scoring 10 seconds into the second courtesy of Ryan Terefenko. Just over three minutes later O'Keefe made the equalizing goal, as a feed from Keenan on the left found the freshman open in the middle of the field. Both sides tussled back and forth until the 4:32 mark, when Spillane rebounded a shot that bounced off the Ohio States goalie's helmet for the one-goal lead headed into the break.
Penn State 4, Ohio State 3
Third Quarter
Kreinz opened the frame with a faceoff win that resulted in a coast-to-coast goal to go up two. Three minutes later, Sutton got the feed from Aponte before winding up and burying the ball under the crossbar for a three-goal lead. With 9:24 to go in the period, Craig fired off a low shot on a pass from Aponte to go up four, before both defenses stifled the opposition for the remainder of the frame.
Penn State 7, Ohio State 3
Fourth Quarter
Nearly five minutes passed before either side scored in the final 15 minutes. Hill started the scoring, running from left to right and firing the ball between the keeper's legs for the score. LeClaire responded before Ament had the score of the night, dodging his defender at x, losing him in the goal, before faking high and finishing low for the five-goal advantage with 5:26 remaining. Ohio State got off three more shots before Penn State ran out the final 1:27 for its 10th win of the season.
Penn State 9, Ohio State 4
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