UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 9 Penn State men's lacrosse team opens with Keystone State foe Villanova at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon in the 2019 season opener in Panzer Stadium.
Penn State vs Villanova - 12 p.m.
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TICKETS
Ticket prices have been set at $5 for adults and $3 for youth (ages 12 and under). Penn State students will be able to get in for free by showing their Penn State ID. Tickets will be available only on game day at the Panzer Stadium ticket windows. Both the gates and the ticket office will open 60 minutes before the game. Fans should note that only the Panzer Stadium (University Drive) side of the venue will be available for fans on Saturday.
PARKING
Parking for games played at Panzer Stadium will be available in the Jordan East lot, and while fans can bring bags into the facility, all bags are subject to search. Tailgating should be kept to the areas south of Dauer Drive in the grassy areas, keeping the aisles free for traffic to flow normally.
THE MATCH-UP
Penn State and Villanova have matched up 24 times and the Nittany Lions have a 17-7 advantage all time. However, over the last 10 meetings, the Wildcats have a 6-4 advantage including the 17-16 overtime win in 2018 season opener.
THE RETURN
The Penn State Nittany Lions return not only nine starters and the USILA Third Team All-America face-off specialist, the Nittany Lions return 2017 60-point scorer in Grant Ament who was sidelined in 2018 with injury. In his absence, Nick Spillane, a starting offensive middie in 2017, slid to attack to fill the distribution role that was void without Ament. Now with Ament back in action, Spillane is able to return back to the midfield to replace the loss of Ryan Keenan, who has taken his talents to the professional realm and is playing for the Ohio Machine.
CAPTAINS
The Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni named Mike Aronow, Matt Donnelly and Chris Sabia as captains for 2019.
Aronow, a native of Holbrook, N.Y., returns as team captain after being the only underclassman in the role in 2018, an honor he received after missing all of the 2017 season due to injury. In his comeback season as a redshirt junior, Aronow started all 14 games at defender, causing 11 turnovers, which was good for second on the team. He added 24 ground balls and an assist in 2018.
Donnelly, a native of Sewell, N.J., played in all 14 games in 2018, including earning four starts. He scored eight goals and added five assists for 13 points. He also added seven ground balls and two caused turnovers on the season. Donnelly has also proven his perseverance throughout his career, and was given the No. 11 jersey as a freshman.
Sabia has started all 45 games in his collegiate career, and has accumulated 51 career turnovers, 75 ground balls, six goals and an assist in his time at Penn State. The defenseman has earned both conference and national recognition as he was named both a 2017 and 2018 All-Big Ten second team honoree and was a USILA honorable mention All-American in 2017 and 2018 as well.
MORE THAN A NUMBER
Penn State has special meaning behind the jersey numbers 11 and 16.
Matt Donnelly has proven his perseverance throughout his career and was given the No. 11 jersey as a freshman as the No. 11 is presented to a young man who has persevered in the face of adversity. Donnelly lost his father during his junior year of high school. The jersey number 11, worn by Michael Jacober, 2002-05, has become symbolic of the strength and compassion of the 2005 Penn State lacrosse team who rallied around Michael after his family was tragically killed in a plane crash during his senior season year.
The No. 16 uniform will be worn by Chris Sabia in 2019 as he was selected by former Nittany Lion Ryan Keenan to next wear the number, which has been presented annually, since 2016, to a senior who best represents the "Heart of a Competitor" in honor of our "Teammate for Life" Connor Darcey. Connor passed away tragically on June 12, 2015 in a car accident, prior to his redshirt junior season. The No. 16 is passed down by the student-athlete who had the honor of wearing the No. 16 during the previous season.
BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
The Penn State men's lacrosse team was picked third in the 2019 Big Ten Preseason Coaches' Poll that was announced by the league office.
Penn State was picked third following the No. 1 pick, Johns Hopkins, and Maryland, who was picked second. Ohio State and Rutgers tied for fourth, and Michigan was picked sixth.
The Big Ten Conference office also announced their preseason Players to Watch list which featured senior defenseman Chris Sabia, junior attackman Grant Ament, and junior face-off specialist Gerard Arceri.
ACTIVE POINT STREAK
Redshirt junior Grant Ament has the sixth longest point scoring streak in the nation, recording a point in all 31 of his career games played are 48-62-110. Pat Spencer of Loyola currently leads the list at 51.
