Penn State Lacrosse Blasts Saint Joseph’s, 19-4

It was a big sports weekend in Happy Valley, with the basketball team continuing their historically successful climb with their eighth straight win and the wrestling team taking down Ohio State in front of a sell-out crowd at the Jordan Center. Also part of said big sports weekend in Happy Valley was the lacrosse team’s annihilation of St. Joseph’s.

After spotting St. Joe’s a 1-0 lead early on, PSU rattled off ten unanswered goals before the Hawks would finally respond midway through the third quarter. By then however, it was much too late for St. Joe’s to mount any type of comeback, as PSU would put up five more unanswered points after the Hawks’ second goal of the game, ultimately winning 19-4.

On a day where the temperatures were below freezing, the fans who decided to brave the cold at Panzer Stadium were treated to a Nittany Lion squad that put on their best defensive performance of the season, as PSU forced 22 St. Joe’s turnovers, and goalkeeper Colby Kneese came up with 12 saves while gave up only two goals. The fact that PSU held a mere 14-13 face-off advantage over St. Joe’s and held them to just four goals further illustrates just how great of a defensive performance it was for Jeff Tambroni’s squad.

Grant Ament led PSU in total points with seven, including six assists to go with one goal. Mac O’Keefe per usual, led PSU in goals scored with six of them, while Kevin Hill and Seamus Glynn also scored multiple goals for the Lions with two apiece.

With the a few tune-ups out of the way, the 3-0 and second-ranked Nittany Lions face their first true test when No. 3 Yale and their face-off ace TD Ierlan come to Happy Valley next Saturday at High Noon, in the first meeting between these squads since Yale defeated PSU in the NCAA Tournament semifinals last May. The game will (deservedly) be televised on BTN.