UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's lacrosse opens Big Ten play Friday night as it travels to play Ohio State. The game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium and will air live on ESPNU.
The Nittany Lions (2-7, 0-1 B1G)) are coming off a loss to No. 1 Maryland, which was their fourth game against a top-10 opponent this season. The Buckeyes (6-3, 0-1 B1G) opened Big Ten play with a loss to Rutgers.
The game will be the first that goes towards the Creator's Trophy, which is given to the team with the best record in the series between Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State. The Lions have won the trophy seven times (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021).
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday, April 1 | 4:30 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPNU
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State leads 19-6 in the all-time series with Ohio State, including wins in each of the past six meetings.
• The Lions won a pair of games against the Buckeyes last season. The Buckeyes' last win in the series came in 2016.
• Penn State is 10-2 in the series in games played in Columbus.
• TJ Malone has totaled eight goals and four assists in three career games against Ohio State.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
• Ohio State, which is ranked 11th in the most recent USILA Coaches Poll, is 6-3 overall and 0-1 in the Big Ten following an 18-7 loss to then-No. 6 Rutgers.
• The Buckeyes have the top man-up offense in the nation, scoring on 64.5 percent of its opportunities. Jason Knox leads the nation with seven man-up goals.
• The Buckeyes also have a solid man-down defense, leading the Big Ten while allowing goals less than 26 percent of the time.
• Jack Myers leads the team in points (47) and assists (26). He is second on the Buckeyes with 21 goals.
VS. THE BIG TEN
• Penn State is 58-110 (.345) all-time against current members of the Big Ten. The Lions are 27-23 (.540) against those same teams during head coach Jeff Tambroni's 12 seasons with the team.
• The Lions are 18-18 in Big Ten regular season games since the league added lacrosse in 2015. They have winning records in league play over Michigan and Ohio State.
FUTURE IS BRIGHT
• Penn State freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 88 points on 50 goals and 38 assists this season.
• That's 52 percent of the team's points, 47 percent of the team's goals and 60 percent of the team's assists.
• The freshmen and sophomore group that has contributed to the scoring includes nine players.
• Freshmen Ethan Long and Will Peden rank ninth and 10th in the Big Ten in assists/game. Just one freshman ranks ahead of the duo.
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Michigan on Friday, April, 8, for Senior Day.
• The Wolverines are 7-3 following a 15-12 loss to Johns Hopkins.
