April 21, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 10 Penn State men's lacrosse team (10-2, 1-2 Big Ten) take the field again on Sunday evening, welcoming No. 13 Rutgers (9-3, 1-2 Big Ten) to the Penn State Lacrosse Field for Senior Night at 7 p.m.. The game is set to air on the Big Ten Network, with Mike Wolf and Mark Dixon on the call.
FOLLOW ALONG
In addition to watching in person or on the Big Ten Network, fans can follow all the action with the Big Ten Network's live stream, live stats and additional 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.
SENIOR NIGHT
Prior to Penn State's game against Rutgers, the Nittany Lions will honor seniors Nick Aponte, Tyler Chambers, Dan Craig, Matt Florence, Drake Kreinz, Billy Lombardi, Brian Prestreau, Matt Sexton, Mike Sutton and Peter Triolo in a pregame ceremony beginning at 6:25 p.m.
COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AT HOPKINS
Penn State suffered its second loss of the season last Saturday, falling at the hands of Johns Hopkins, 13-11, at Homewood Field in Baltimore.
- Despite a rocky first half, Penn State nearly pulled off the upset, as the team made a 5-1 run in the fourth quarter to pull within one goal before Hopkins iced the game with 37 seconds remaining.
- Sophomore attackman Grant Ament led the way for Penn State with five points on a pair of goals and three assists. The five-point performance tied for most by a Penn State player in a Big Ten game. It marked the seventh time a Penn State player has logged five points against a Big Ten opponent.
- In addition to Ament's performance, six other Nittany Lions made multi-point contributions: Nick Aponte (4a), Matt Florence (2g), Mike Sutton (2g), Dan Craig (2g), Ryan Keenan (1g, 1a) and Mac O'Keefe (1g, 1a).
100-POINT CLUB
Sophomore attackman Grant Ament scored a pair of goals and added three assists to hit the 100-career point milestone against Johns Hopkins on April 15.
- With his five-point performance, Ament became the 24th Penn State player to score 100 career points. His 103 career points rank 23rd all-time, needing just one more point to tie 22nd all-time.
- Ament became the second active Penn State player to reach 100 career points this season, when Nick Aponte during the Nittany Lions' game against Furman. The senior ranks 14th most points in program history with 124 (62g, 62a).
- With Ament reaching the 100-point mark, Penn State is one of 16 programs nationally with a pair of 100-point scorers.
- Prior to Ament and Aponte, TJ Sanders (2013-16) was the last player to be a 100-point scorer. Senior midfielder Mike Sutton is the next closest active player to the 100-point mark, entering the game against Rutgers with 85 (73g, 12a).
AMENT LOOKS TO CRACK TOP-10
In addition to breaking the 100-point plateau, Grant Ament is closing in on the Penn State leaderboard for single-season points with two games remaining in the regular season.
- Ament enters Sunday with 49 points to date - the ninth and tenth spots on Penn State's single season points leaderboard sitting at 57 points. Ament enters the game averaging 4.08 points per game, on pace to climb into the top 10.
- Ament came close to cracking the top 10 last season, logging 20 goals and 34 assists for 54 points in his rookie season. His 34 assists rank 10th all-time for a single season.
FRIENDSHIP CUPON THE LINE
The Nittany Lions matchup with Rutgers marks the battle for the Friendship Cup once again.
- While Penn State and Rutgers will meet for the 65th time on Sunday, the Friendship Cup trophy debuted in 1998. Since the debut of the trophy, Penn State holds an 11-5 advantage in the series.
- Penn State last held the trophy on April 19, 2015, when the Nittany Lions earned an 11-6 win at home against the Scarlet Knights. Mike Sutton and Matt Florence each scored three goals in Penn State's victory in 2015.
NITTANY LIONS SET HISTORICAL STREAK
Penn State began the season on a historical win streak, going 10-0 through the opening 10 games of the season.
- Following Penn State's win over Ohio State, the Nittany Lions continued the best start in program history at 10-0. Prior to the 2017 season the best record to begin a season at Penn State was 7-0, achieved by the 1992 team.
- With the win, Penn State remained one of two undefeated squads nationally at 10-0. Hofstra (9-0) is the only other undefeated program nationally. Penn State's 10-game win streak was the best in the country.
- With Penn State's victory over Ohio State, the Nittany Lions matched the longest single-season win streak with 10-straight. The win also saw Penn State earn its seventh ever season with double-figure wins.
- With the win two weeks ago against Cleveland State, Penn State went undefeated in the non-conference slate for the first time in program history at a perfect 9-0 mark. Penn State first became a conference member in 2000 when the team joined the ECAC before transitioning to the CAA and eventually the Big Ten.
- With a win against Rutgers, Penn State would mark the third season in program history winning 11 or more games. In Penn State's three NCAA tournament appearance seasons, the Nittany Lions only reached 10-plus wins once.
OFFENSE AMONG NATION'S BEST
With two games remaining in the 2017 regular season the Nittany Lion offense continues to be one of the best in the nation statistically.
- Penn State leads the country statistically in shooting percentage as of April 19, firing the ball at a .368 clip. Four players in Grant Ament (.491, 7th), Mac O'Keefe (.406, 41st), Mike Sutton (.378, 68th) and Nick Spillane (.372, 72nd) all rank in the top 75 nationally.
- Of the over 70 Division I programs, Penn State finds itself also ranked among the top 10 in the country in scoring offense (fifth, 14.08) goals per game), points per game (fourth, 22.33) and assists per game (eighth, 8.25). Penn State leads the Big Ten in all four categories.
- In addition to its national prominence, Penn State's goals per game, points per game and assists per game figures are all the best during the Jeff Tambroni era to date, with the team on pace to break the Tambroni-era records for single season goals (178) and assists (106).
- Penn State has five offensive players ranked nationally among the top 150 in either points per game, goals per game or assists per game. Ament (4.08 ppg, 2.17 gpg, 1.92 apg) is the lone player to rank among the top 50 in all three categories. O'Keefe (3.67 ppg, 3.25 gpg) ranks top 30 in both goals per game and points per game, while Nick Aponte (3.42 ppg, 2.08 apg) ranks among the top 50 in points per game and assists per game. Ryan Keenan ranks 88th nationally in assists per game, averaging 1.08 per contest.
LIONS DOMINANT AT THE FACEOFF "X"
Penn State's success on the offensive end has stemmed from stellar play at the faceoff "x", creating opportunities for the offense to thrive.
- Penn State ranks sixth in the country in faceoff win percentage (.609) and 12th in groundballs per game (31.92) following 12 games. Penn State leads the Big Ten in faceoff win percentage and third in groundballs per game.
- Freshman midfielder and faceoff man Gerard Arceri ranks sixth nationally in faceoff percentage (.633) and eighth in groundballs per game (7.58). He ranks second in the Big Ten in faceoff percentage while leading in groundballs.
APONTE, AMENT EYEING CAREER ASSISTS LEADERBOARD
With two games remaining in the regular season, Penn State attackmen Nick Aponte and Grant Ament both look to improve their positioning on the Penn State leaderboard for career assists.
- Following the Nittany Lions' most recent outing, Aponte has taken sole possession of 10th place on the career assists leaderboard, surpassing Shane Sturgis' 61-assist mark. With a minimum two guaranteed games remaining, Aponte could match or pass Chris Lehman (1990-93, 67 assists) for eighth place, and could possibly go further with a deep tournament run. Ament currently sits at 57 career assists.
- Aponte, who enters the Rutgers game with 62 career assists, is having the best season of his career statistically sharing the ball with a team-high 25 assists this season. His 19-assist output in 2016 was previously his most in a single season.
- Ament, who has 23 assists to date, entered the season after dishing out the 10th most assists in program history during his freshman campaign, logging 34 last season.
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.
- The trio all rank in the top-50 nationally in points per game. Ament comes in at No. 17, good for second in the Big Ten, while O'Keefe and Aponte rank No. 29 and No. 49 in the country, respectively. O'Keefe is fourth in Big Ten point production, while Aponte is eighth. Ament and Aponte are both top-20 in assists per game, with Aponte's 2.08 assist/game average ranking 14th overall nationally and second in the Big Ten.
- The trio of Ament, Aponte and O'Keefe have accounted for 47.9% of Penn State's goals, 53.5% of Penn State's assists and 50% of the team's total points.
- As a unit, Penn State's starting attack line has produced the fifth most points among starting attack lines nationally. The Nittany Lion trio ranks fifth in total goals and fifth in total assists. (List of teams with attack lines reaching 110 or more total points on page five of game notes).
B1G IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
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 the league's non-conference play, as a conference Big Ten teams went a combined 45-8, with its .849 win percentage the top among all Division I programs.
O'KEEFE ON PACE TO SET NEW RECORDS
Freshman attackman Mac O'Keefe continues a hot stretch offensively, notching an astounding 39 goals through the first 12 games.
- With four goals against Cleveland State, O'Keefe passed Penn State's single-player high for goals from last season, as senior attackman Nick Aponte logged 30 in 2016.
- After scoring a goal in the Johns Hopkins game, O'Keefe holds the country's ninth longest goal-scoring streak, finding the back of the net in 12 consecutive games. His 39 goals over the span ranks eighth. Brown's Dylan Molloy holds the longest streak with 37 consecutive games in which he's tallied 117 goals.
- 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 39 goals rank third most in a single season in Jeff Tambroni's seven-season tenure at Penn State. The 39-goal mark is one short of cracking the program's top-10 single season leaderboard.
APONTE, AMENT AND SUTTON STREAKING
At this point in the 2017 season, senior attackman Nick Aponte holds one of the longest statistical streaks in the country.
- After logging four assists against Johns Hopkins, Aponte has recorded at least one point in each of his last 44 contests, dating back to April 5, 2014.
- Aponte's streak is good for eighth in the country. Denver senior Connor Cannizarro lead the country with 52 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 27-game streak entering the game against Rutgers, good for 18th nationally.
- With a two-goal performance against Maryland, senior Mike Sutton added his name to the list of D1 players with at least one point in 22 consecutive games.
- Of the 27 players in Division I to have tallied a point in 20 consecutive games, only five schools (Penn State, Denver, Duke, Harvard and Air Force) have multiple players on the list. Penn State is the only school to have three players with a 20-plus game point streak. (List of National Point Scoring Streaks on page six fo game notes).
PENN STATE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Penn State fell this week in the national polls, coming in as a consensus top-10 selection.
- With the No. 1 ranking in the Maverik Media poll two weeks ago, Penn State earned a consensus No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history.
- With its No. 10 ranking in the USILA coaches poll, Penn State is ranked within the top 10 for the seventh consecutive week. Seven 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 16 consecutive USILA coaches polls, the last time being unranked being March 21, 2016.
APONTE ON 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 currently ranks third on Penn State in points, tallying 31 on 13 goals and 18 assists. His assist figures tie for the best on the team, while his 13 goals rank tied for third.
- 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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