UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The second-ranked Penn State men's lacrosse team heads to Philadelphia for the second time this season when it travels to play at No. 6 Penn on Saturday. The game, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. at historic Franklin Field, is the second-straight against a top-10 opponent for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State dropped just one spot from first to second in the country following a 12-10 loss to then-No. 3 Yale in its most recent game. The Bulldogs took over the No. 1 spot. Last week's second-ranked team, Virginia, and fourth-ranked team, Maryland, also lost.
Saturday's game is the first of three straight for Penn State away from its home field. The Lions aren't back at Panzer Stadium until Saturday, March 21, against Lehigh.
No. 2 Penn State at No. 6 Penn | Saturday, Feb.29 | 1 p.m.
Watch Live | Live Stats | Game Notes
THE MATCHUP
• Penn State is 25-14-1 in the all-time series with Penn. The series began in 1913 with a 4-3 win by the Nittany Lions.
• Saturday marks the sixth-consecutive year Penn State and Penn play each other. The Lions have won each of the past three meetings. Two of those wins came by just one goal, including a 15-14 win at home last season.
• The teams last played in Philadelphia in 2018. Penn State won that game, 12-4.
• Gerard Arceri is 59-82 (.720) on faceoffs in three career games against the Quakers.
SCOUTING PENN
• Penn is 1-1 overall and ranked sixth in the country. The Quakers will play their third-straight opponent ranked in the top 10.
• The Quakers opened with a 17-15 loss to then-No. 4 Maryland and followed that with a 14-11 win over then-No. 10 Duke.
• Sophomore Sam Handley, a USILA first team All-American last season, is on the Tewaaraton Watch List.
• Penn went 12-4 overall and 6-0 in the Ivy League last season. The Quakers advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals after winning the Ivy League regular season and Tournament titles.
WEEK 4 RECAP
• Colby Kneese made 16 saves and was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Week, but No. 1 Penn State fell to No. 3 Yale 12-10 at Panzer Stadium.
• The Lions fell behind 6-1 midway through the second quarter, but battled back to get within one multiple times in the second half.
• Grant Ament finished with six points on one goal and five assists. He factored in on six of the team's final seven goals. Ament broke the Big Ten career points record during the game. He enters this week with 270.
NCAA LEADERS
• Grant Ament ranks second in the nation in assists (21), second in assists/game (5.25), second in points (30) and second in points/game (7.5).
• Mac O'Keefe leads the nation in goals (18) and ranks fifth in goals/game (4.5), points (23) and points/game (5.75).
• Gerard Arceri ranks second in the nation in ground balls (45) and fourth in ground balls/game (11.25).
• As a team, Penn State ranks fourth in the nation in man-up offense (.700), fifth in assists (40), sixth in assists/game (10.0), sixth in shot percentage (.364), seventh in points (104), eighth in goals (64), ninth in points/game (26.0), ninth in scoring margin (+7.25) and ninth in goals/game (16.0).
WEEKLY AWARDS
• Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (2) – Grant Ament 2 (2/4, 2/11)
• Big Ten Specialist of the Week (2) – Gerard Arceri (2/4), Colby Kneese (2/25)
UP NEXT
Penn State will take on No. 9 Cornell in the Crown Lacrosse Classic on Sunday, March 8, at 4 p.m. The game will be played at William Amos Hough High School in Cornelius, North Carolina. The Big Red are 3-0 with wins over Albany, Towson, and High Point by an average of 8.7 goals.
