UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For Penn State to get its first win as a varsity program over Maryland, it took everything the Nittany Lions had to come away on top.
While the Nittany Lions have garnered considerable attention for their offensive prowess so far this season, it was its midfield that kept Penn State in the game last weekend.
"I think our defensive effort was very consistent," head coach Jeff Tambroni said. "I was proud of the way they responded from start to finish, and allowed us to feel good early on, but more importantly made sure we remained calm in the middle of that game."
Specifically, Tambroni complemented the way Jack Kelly (Scarborough, Ont.) and Jack Traynor (Downington, Pa.) were able to contribute to Penn State's eventual 13-10 win against the Terrapins.
"I thought there were a lot of key components throughout the course of the night," Tambroni said. "(Kelly) is one of those guys who may not get the most attention, but we recognize how important he's been for us.
"He continues to keep getting better and he puts a lot of pressure on an opposing team's defense. While his contributions might be understated, there are a lot of really talented lacrosse players who are filling roles for our team right now."
Born in Toronto, Kelly was a talented hockey player in Ontario before switching to lacrosse full-time around his sophomore year of secondary school. He was a box lacrosse team captain for three seasons at the Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, but had little experience with field lacrosse before coming to Penn State.
"As I came to the United States, it was interesting how much attention is put on sports and the school spirit that exists here at Penn State," Kelly said. "The biggest challenge for me was going from box lacrosse to field lacrosse.
"I hadn't really played any kind of technical offensive systems, so I was behind in my understanding of that but was able to pick it up by following the leadership of the older guys. With the leaders we have on offense, I have a much better feel of what to do."
With box lacrosse, the existence of a true midfielder is hard to find. Most are either playing offense or defense, which can create a learning curve for players who come from north of the border to play field lacrosse.
"I've been able to help with being able to eliminate transition based on the shot clock," Kelly said. "When the shot clock winds down, you know you have to get off so a defensive guy can come on. It's a new thing for my American teammates, but being aware of it already helps me."
The shift in style of play also allowed for Kelly to take riskier shots and passes back in Canada, something that he is unable to get away with at the collegiate level.
"You can take a lot more risks in box lacrosse because ball possession isn't as high of a priority," Kelly said. "With field lacrosse, you have to calculate risks more because you don't get the ball every 30 seconds. It helped me adapt once I adjusted to the speed and the risk-taking."
Kelly only appeared in six games in 2018 due to injury, but hasn't missed a beat thus far in the 2019 season.
Attacker Grant Ament (Doylestown, Pa.) has noticed the impact Kelly has on games, and the way that Penn State's midfield as a whole has contributed to the team's success so far, despite their relative youth as a unit.
"To play that well in such a big game, and it's not like they have a ton of experience with (Kelly) being hurt last year and the other guys being freshmen," Ament said. "To see that is a reassuring feeling and it can be huge to be able to lean back on them at times. It takes a lot off my mind worrying about what can happen next in a game."
While Kelly's transition to Penn State was highlighted by an adjustment to a new culture and way of playing lacrosse, Traynor might be the most familiar freshman to come through Penn State's program in some time.
Arriving on the heels of his recently-graduated brother Tripp (2015-2018), Jack has raised eyebrows with his maturity and ability to adapt even as a true freshman.
"Our coaching staff was very impressed by the way (Traynor) competed," Tambroni said.
"Statistically, the bonus that our midfield provides was probably the difference in the game for us. The confidence that they had and the way they approached that first possession, we knew we would be just fine."
With a pair of goals in last week's win, Traynor is focusing on helping Penn State in the best way possible.
"Scoring two goals is awesome when you can help your team," Traynor said. "They came off two very nice plays by Mac (O'Keefe). We lost our rhythm for a time but then we just got our momentum back and were able to go from there."
Traynor's intuitiveness on the field has made his teammates feel he has been a part of the program all along.
"I wouldn't even consider Jack Traynor a freshman at this point in the season," Gerard Arceri said. "There have been a bunch of games where you see little glimpses of Tripp in him, so it's pretty cool to have played alongside both of them."
Even though Tripp has established the family legacy within the program, Traynor wants to create his own place within Penn State lacrosse, something he is well on his way towards achieving.
"(Having familiarity) definitely helped me a lot," Traynor said. "I was familiar with the coaching staff before I was even committed. Just to hear stories from Tripp helped me, but it sort of inspires you to make it your own legacy, rather than just following in his footsteps."
