May 11, 2013 at 6:16 PM
Riding a four goal lead at halftime, eighth-seeded Penn State looked as if it would cruise to the program's first ever NCAA Tournament victory, but Yale wasn’t finished yet.
The Bulldogs came out firing in the second half, scoring nine goals in the final two quarters to advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament after defeating the Nittany Lions, 10-7 on May 11.
Penn State posted arguably the best season in program history, going undefeated in regular season conference play with 12 wins, a number that has never been reached by the program before. The Lions' impressive regular season earned the school’s third ever NCAA Tournament berth and the first since 2005. With the loss today, the Lions move to 0-3 in NCAA Tournament play.
Yale jumped on the board first when Harry Kucharczyk scored an unassisted goal with 11:40 left to play in the first quarter to take a 1-0 lead. Kucharczyk’s goal would turn out to be the Bulldogs only tally of the half.
After nearly eight scoreless minutes, Jack Forster put Penn State on the board going unassisted toward the goal and extending his point streak to 29 games. Less than 30 seconds later, Shane Sturgis gave Penn State the 2-1 lead on an extra man opportunity after a faceoff violation by Yale’s Dylan Levings, who was 0-for-4 on faceoffs in the first quarter.
Penn State would carry the momentum through the remainder of the first quarter riding five saves from goalkeeper Austin Kaut.
The Lions entered halftime on a 5-0 run with goals from Gavin Ahern, Nick Dolik and TJ Sanders that all came with more than nine minutes left in the second quarter. Even with the four-goal advantage and the momentum in its favor, Penn State would be held scoreless until midway through the third quarter.
After being shutout for 27 minutes, Yale answered in the second half as JW McGovern gave the Bulldogs life by scoring in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Penn State would come back with a goal from Drew Roper off an assist from Kyle VanThor to extend the Lions lead to 6-3.
The Lions have traditionally struggled in the second half, and the troubles were prevalent today as Yale broke down the Penn State defense in the second half going on a 6-0 scoring run.
In a last chance attempt, Penn State pulled Kaut leaving an open net which would result in another Yale goal despite JP Burnside’s diving attempt to deflect Colin Flaherty’s shot that put the Bulldogs up 10-6 with 1:46 left to play.
After winning the faceoff, TJ Sanders attempted to revive Penn State cutting Yale’s lead to three with 1:13 left to play. Yale would win the final faceoff and held the ball thus ending and the hope of a Penn State comeback.
The Bulldogs will face the winner of top-seeded Syracuse and Bryant in College Park, Md. on May 18. Yale earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 1992.
May 5, 2013 at 11:23 PM
Let the madness begin.
For the first time since 2005, the Nittany Lions (12-4, 6-0 CAA) received an at-large bid to the NCAA Lacrosse Tournament, receiving the No. 8 seed.
Penn State now faces the Ivy League Champions Yale Bulldogs (11-4, 4-2 Ivy League) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in State College.
"It was a gratifying feeling," coach Jeff Tambroni told GOPSUSports.com. "Certainly after last year's disappointment not to have gone into the playoff after all the work those guys had done, especially for our seniors last year."
The CAA coach of the year also said that the celebration by the Lions after the announcement was a culmination of a year of hard work.
Syracuse and Notre Dame received the top two seeds in tournament followed by Ohio State and Denver.
Penn State is also one of two teams from the CAA to earn a bid, the other is Towson, who received an automatic bid after defeating Penn State, 11-10, in the CAA Championship on May 3.
The Tigers face Ohio State next Sunday at 3 p.m.
Bucknell, Princeton, Penn, Johns Hopkins and Drexel were some of the teams that ended up on the wrong side of the bubble. This is the first time in 41 years that Johns Hopkins will miss the tournament.
May 3, 2013 at 6:06 PM
The streak had to end sometime.
Mustaches blessing the faces like the one of senior Jack Forster couldn't last forever. Coach Jeff Tambroni's superstition of wearing the same necktie at every road game also couldn't last for the same reason.
That reason being Penn State's 10-game winning streak, as entering Friday, the Nittany Lions had not lost a game since Mar. 9. Yes, Mar. 9.
But that streak ended this afternoon.
In a rematch with CAA foe Towson, Penn State lost, 11-10, in the conference title game despite a late rally cutting the deficit to one in the last two minutes.
The two teams began the game almost all even. Towson started off with quick by scoring two goals off the sticks of Ben McCarty and Greg Cuccinello, but Penn State scored two of its own thanks to Forster and midfielder Kyle VanThof.
However, Towson eventually found some separation. The Tigers went on a 3-0 run, scoring two goals in the third quarter and added one more in the fourth quarter before Penn State got back on the scoreboard.
Unfortunately for the Lions, they couldn't carry the same run Towson had earlier. The two teams added a goal making it for a 11-8 score with 2:33 left. It was too little time for Penn State to mass a comeback. Shane Sturgis and TJ Sanders each scored a goal in 49 seconds, but couldn't find the net one more time in the last minute and 42 seconds.
Now that the streak has ended, Penn State will now look to new superstitions and freshly new facial hair as the team eyes a birth to the NCAA Lacrosse Championship starting May 18.
May 1, 2013 at 8:25 PM
The streak continues to be alive and well in State College.
The Nittany Lions rallied with a 5-0 run in the third and fourth quarters to overcome a one goal deficit in the third quarter and beat Massachusetts, 10-7. The win makes it 10 straight wins for the Lions and the first in the postseason. They advance to the CAA title game Friday against Towson.
Penn State got off to an early start with two unanswered goals in the first quarter, before Massachusetts got one back six minutes into the game.
Despite Penn State's early momentum, the team struggled to keep it going after the Minutemen dominated the second quarter, scoring three goals to send Massachusetts up, 4-3.
However, just like Penn State, Massachusetts could not dominate the game. The Minutemen forfeited the lead quickly into the third on a Shane Sturgis goal for Penn State. Sturgis ended the day with four goals and five points.
Massachusetts hung around until the third quarter. In the fourth, it was all Penn State, scoring four goals to Massachusetts' one.
TJ Sanders scored two of the fourth quarter's goals. He and Jack Forster both had two-goal performances.
Penn State is now set for a regular season rematch with Towson in the CAA Championship game on Friday afternoon at Penn State.
March 1, 2013 at 3:30 PM
Penn State (2-1) vs. Ohio State (3-0)
1:00 p.m.
After the Nittany Lions' season opener, head coach Jeff Trambroni referred to the next six games as the gauntlet of the schedule.
The No. 8 Nittany Lions enter Saturday's game against Ohio State at the halfway point of that "gauntlet."
So far, Penn State has held its own. With a win against then-No. 8 Denver and an overtime loss to No. 3 Notre Dame, the schedule hasn't proved too daunting for the Lions, who hope to return to postseason play.
Now Ohio State highlights their remaining three games against top opponents, Lehigh and Massachusetts being the others.
What can Brown do for you?
Ohio State's Carter Brown has provided big contributions for the Buckeyes, picking up the ECAC Rookie of the Week after scoring four goals and seven points against Marquette.
The attackman from Bel Air, Md. ranks 11th with a 2.67 assists per game average and he is 16th in the NCAA with 4.5 points per game.
Player to watch
Ohio State's Logan Schuss. The third team preseason All-American leads the Buckeyes with 15 points. Controlling the senior attackman will be crucial toward the Lions' success.
Keys to the game
Closing a game out.
After Sunday's loss against Notre Dame, midfielder Tom LaCrosse said that the last two games, Penn State let up at the end. It's something they can't afford moving forward.
Who will it be?
The Lions have seen offensive production from a variety of sources. Last game, it was LaCrosse and senior Jack Forster each scoring a hat trick.
The variety of offensive weapons should please Tambroni, who said in the beginning of the season, that players other than Shane Sturgis needed to step up on offense.
Predict it
Lions win 16-9 with Sturgis and Sanders each scoring four goals.
Sound off
Tweet us your predictions @TDC_Sports
By Zach Neiner
February 12, 2013 at 5:49 PM
After TJ Sanders' stellar collegiate debut, the Colonial Athletic Association named the Lions' freshman as rookie of the week on Monday evening.
The newcomer tallied five points in Penn State's 11-6 season opener victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
The five-point performance, consisting of four goals and one assist, was the best on the team, beating out junior attackman Shane Sturgis four-goal game.
On Sunday, senior midfielder Nick Dolik said that it was great to see the game that Sanders had as a freshman.
However, Dolik added that the team wasn't too surprised to see his success after working with him in the offseason, but it was nice to know it translated into in-game performance.
Sanders, an Orillia, Ontario native, will now look to duplicate his success against No. 9 Denver on Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla. in the Moe's Southwest Grill Classic.
February 11, 2012 at 3:35 PM
The No. 17 Penn State men’s lacrosse team (0-1) lost its season opener to No. 6 North Carolina (1-0), 14-10, in Kennesaw, Ga.
The Nittany Lions struggled early to get into a rhythm, losing the first seven faceoffs of the game and falling into a 5-1 deficit in the first quarter. In the second quarter, the team was able to fight back, taking advantage of a North Carolina foul, the Lions scored with 0:19 remaining and trailed only 8-5 going into the half.
Penn State’s defense was unable to take control in the second half. The Tar Heels, led by Davey Emala with four goals, scored six more to give Penn State its first loss of the season.
Goalie Ausin Kraut, a preseason honorable mention All-American, had 15 saves in his first game of the year. On the offensive side, Kyle VanThof, Matthew Mackrides and Nick Dolan, all contributed two goals for Penn State, and Jack Forster led the team in points with three assists.
October 20, 2011 at 5:56 PM
The Penn State men’s Llacrosse team played in this year’s Parkinson’s Lacrosse Tournament last Saturday in Alexandria, VA. The event now in its second year, was organized by a former Princeton Lacrosse player, Christian Cook and his sister Lauren after their mother Diane was diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s. All proceeds from the event will benefit the ProjectSparks foundation’s search for a cure. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease that affects movement. In America alone there are nearly 1.5 million people currently living with some form of this debilitating disease, most notably actor Michael J. Fox and Hall of Fame boxer Muhammad Ali.
This year’s lacrosse tournament was Penn State’s first time competing in the event that featured 12 Division I NCAA men and women’s teams from across the country. The Penn State men’s team kicked off the event early Saturday morning taking on Army. The Black Knights played the Nittany Lions to an 11-11 tie. They played two games in the event, taking on John Hopkins University later in the afternoon and pulling off a reported one-goal win. Both of those teams are consistent playoff contenders. It was also a good opportunity for Penn State’s Lacrosse coach Jeff Tambroni to measure up his team’s physical condition and chemistry early. This was the last opportunity for the team to play together prior to gearing up for the start of next season in the spring. The team itself will be taking on 13 newcomers this year, 11 freshmen and 2 transfers and have 24 letterman returning from last year’s 7-7 season, in which they qualified for the playoffs.
August 24, 2011 at 5:08 PM
Fresh off of graduating from Georgetown earlier this year, former lacrosse player David Shriver has joined the coaching ranks. Shriver will be a volunteer assistant coach for the Nittany Lions and Jeff Tambroni, who is entering his second season as head coach.
Hailing from Timonium, Md., Shriver tallied seven career goals while playing attacker for the Hoyas — including one against the Lions in 2009. He scored four of those goals last season, in his senior year on a Georgetown team that went 7-7.
In what will obviously be Shriver's first collegiate coaching stint, he will be on a staff with Tambroni, Peter Toner and Chris Doctor. And he will become a part of a Penn State team that finished 8-6 and returns five of its six top scorers from a season ago.
"We're thrilled that David has decided to join our staff," said Tambroni in a press release. "He is a first-class young man with a tremendous passion for the sport of lacrosse."
March 21, 2011 at 5:28 PM
Freshman goalie Austin Kaut is already used to receiving the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honor, which he got for the third time Monday.
But that was just the beginning.
The Morton, Pa. native earned his first CAA Player of the Week honor, sharing the award with Towson's Matt Hughes.
Kaut played a huge role in the Nittany Lions' road victory over No. 5 Massachusetts, 8-7, Saturday. The freshman registered 25 saves, the most of any Division I keeper in a single game this season.
Kaut's .671 save percentage is the second-best in Division I, trailing only Pierce Bassett of Johns Hopkins.
