April 17, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's lacrosse program saw sophomore Gerard Arceri earn his sixth Big Ten Specialist of the Week honor, announced by the league office on Tuesday, and junior Nick Spillane be honored by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association for their gutsy performances in the Nittany Lions' 14-12 win over then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins.
After leaving the Maryland game late in the fourth quarter with a leg injury, it was unclear if Arceri would play Saturday afternoon against the Blue Jays.
"He's been saying he's going to play since Sunday night, there was never a doubt in that young man's mind," Tambroni said following Saturday's big win. "Our trainers had a different opinion and we did as well, but he proved every one of us wrong and got out there and had the performance of a lifetime."
The face-off specialist played through the leg injury and opened the game going 8-9 at the 'X' in the first quarter. For the entirety of the game, Arceri went 16-23, adding nine ground balls, despite missing the whole third quarter after taking a big hit late in the second period.
Spillane was the quarterback of the Penn State offense that took down No. 5 Johns Hopkins for the first time in program history. The attackman dished out five assists, tying a career high, and then added two goals of his own to tie his personal best for points in a single game. He also added two ground balls.
Arceri has now won six Big Ten Specialist of the Week honors this season and has brought his career total to nine. This is Spillane's first appearance on the USILA Team of the Week, and he is the fourth Nittany Lion honored this season, joining Arceri, Ryan Keenan, and Colby Kneese
Penn State hits the road to take on No. 10 Rutgers on Sunday, April 22 for a 7 p.m. showdown in Piscataway, New Jersey.