March 31, 2018
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Penn State men's lacrosse team put together an impressive Big Ten opening performance as they took down the Ohio State Buckeyes, 12-4, in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore goalie Colby Kneese was the catalyst to the performance as he made a season-high 16 saves, 11 of which came in the first half, and helped cripple the Buckeye offense, which included shutting them out in the first and fourth quarters. Kneese finished with an 80.0-percent save percentage.
While Kneese provided the defensive adrenaline, junior Kevin Hill provided an early offensive spark to ignite the attack. The middie scored back-to-back goals and helped jump-start the Nittany Lion offense.
The Nittany Lions were firing on all cylinders as seven different players found the back of the cage. Senior Ryan Keenan finished the afternoon with a hat trick, while Hill led with four points as he added two assists to his two goals.
Redshirt sophomore Dylan Foulds and freshman John Nostrant both the net twice, while sophomore Mac O'Keefe added three points, a score and two assists.
Junior Nick Spillane added a goal and an assist, while Gerard Arceri recorded a face-off win goal. Freshmen Brian Townsend and Bobby Burns both tallied assists for Penn State.
Arceri finished the day with 13 face-off wins and eight ground balls. Long-stick middie Nick Cardile led the team with two caused turnovers and added four ground balls.
Penn State improves to 7-3, 1-0 B1G, and will return to action on Sunday, April 8, as the Nittany Lions host No. 2 Maryland at Panzer Stadium.