Offensive outbursts boost laxers

By DAVID COMER
Collegian Sports Writer

The Lion lacrosse team's weekend "Goal-a-thon" started with an 18-goal performance Saturday and continued with another 18-goal effort yesterday.

Amidst an endless array of shots and goals, the No. 10 Lions (6-1) extended their winning streak to four with an 18-4 domination of Lafayette on Saturday and an 18-13 win against Drexel yesterday, both at Jeffrey Field.

There were many contributors to the "Goal-a-thon" for the Lions, but none were more significant than sophomore attackman Greg Jackson and senior attackman Erik Merkel.

The duo immediately set the tone against Lafayette. Merkel scored three times and Jackson added one goal and two assists during the first period to help the Lions build a 5-1 lead.

Merkel used his quickness and his pinpoint shooting to finish the game with six goals, while Jackson constantly found open teammates in front of the goal on his way to a seven-assist performance.

The Leopards, playing their season opener, never threatened their more talented opponents.

"Everybody in the business says this is the best team Penn State has had in the last 20 years, and I believe them," Lafayette Coach Bill Lawson said. "I think we were really in awe of what they did once we stepped on the field."

Penn State did what it wanted against Lafayette.

"We wanted to try to work on the little things -- the passing, the checking, the groundballs," senior midfielder Mike Busza said. "We played well and it was a good win for us."

The win was the 200th career victory for Lion Coach Glenn Thiel, who said it is a nice milestone to reach, but "that's about it."

Yesterday, Thiel won number 201, but not before Drexel (1-3) battled back from deficits of 7-0 and 11-5 to get within two goals twice during the fourth quarter.

With 13 minutes, 9 seconds to play, Dragon Craig Caputo tallied a goal to make the score 14-12.

But Jackson scored a man-advantage goal for the Lions more than seven minutes later to make the score 15-12. But with 4:19 remaining, Drexel's Brandon Bates scored to pull his team within two.

Busza made the score 16-13 as he spun by a defender and, before falling to the ground, sent a bullet past the goalie's left shoulder. The goal thwarted the Dragons' momentum, and they did not score again.

"That's a young, spunky, enthusiastic team, and they play like that," Thiel said of Drexel. "They played well and put a scare into us. It's tough to play two days in a row."

Jackson and Merkel once again led the Lion offense, as Jackson scored five goals and dished out three assists. Merkel finished with five goals, increasing his season total to 28.

"When they started coming back," Merkel said, "I took initiative to get the ball going again."

Penn State dominated the final six minutes of the game to finish with a spurt-filled 18-13 win.

"When they were after us," Drexel Coach Randy Voigt said, "we weren't even in the game."