For the Penn State men's lacrosse team to climb back into the NCAA Tournament this season, head coach Jeff Tambroni knows they're in it for the long haul with a difficult nonconference and Big Ten slate.
But he was encouraged when he spoke Wednesday at Media Day, as the Nittany Lions easily dispatched Villanova on Saturday at Holuba Hall.
"We're extremely excited after our preseason and home opener against Villanova, to get the 2019 season started with this group," Tambroni said. "With the maturity and leadership, we have a good group of returners back with plenty of experience on the field. They've done a wonderful job thus far."
Off the strength of a hat trick each from Grant Ament (Doylestown, Pa.), Dylan Foulds (Port Coquitlam, B.C), and freshman TJ Malone (Westchester, Pa.), Penn State defeated Villanova, 17-7.
"It was definitely nice seeing a guy like TJ Malone, and another freshman in Jack Traynor come in and build some confidence," Ament said.
"Obviously scoring 17 goals in the first game, we would like to do that every game, but I thought we moved very well off-ball. The majority of goals were assisted and that was a big key for us."
Ament also commented on Dylan Foulds' behind-the-back goal, which put the game out of reach, and was featured on the NCAA Lacrosse Twitter page as one of the top five plays of the week.
"I've seen Foulds do that a few times. I think we all have in practice," Ament said. "His box [lacrosse] background definitely helps him a little bit. It was a pretty sweet goal, but he's done that in practice plenty of times, so it's practically expected with him."
Defeating Villanova was just the first of a number of goals the Nittany Lions have this year. As a top 10 team in the country, picked to finish third in the Big Ten preseason coaches poll, Tambroni knows that lofty expectations have to be managed for his team to meet their goals this season.
"If you don't have goals, that's when you lose focus," Tambroni said. "When we arrive back on campus, we make sure our guys are connected not just as teammates, but also in being attached to our athletic department and the university."
"We have goals about being the first team here to win a national championship, and we emphasize the number of diffferent steps that go into that."
On Saturday, Penn State hosts a Robert Morris team that it tightly contested last year only to come up short. They represent another tough team in a difficult non-conference schedule that includes the defending national champion Yale Bulldogs, a challenge that Tambroni is embracing to see how his team responds.
"You gotta believe in your kids and your program to schedule the opponents we did this year," Tambroni said. "And I hope it gives our guys the confidence to realize how confident we are in them and what they can accomplish."
When putting together the 2019 schedule, Tambroni noted two of the more important aspects were to first give his team a challenge, but also prepare them for postseason play both in the Big Ten and hopefully in the NCAA Tournament.
"Strength of schedule is a big part of it, as well as geographical location of games for recruiting is a secondary reason," Tambroni said.
"Our schedule is sort of separated into two parts, so we know if we can get some quality wins before our Big Ten schedule, it will prepare us for the Big Ten but also hopefully allows us to have an opportunity after that to get into NCAAs."
Between this Saturday and April 7, Penn State will have just one home game in that time span, against Pennsylvania on March 2. Tambroni knows the most organic way to bring his team together is simply for them to spend time with each other.
"For us, the camaraderie of being together on the bus and just hanging out at the hotel before games, that just can't be replicated back here," Tambroni said.
"It does create some positive chemistry, and it also tests you mentally. We had a great fan base here this past weekend and they were extremely supportive of us, but it is also important for our guys to be tested mentally away from home."
