The Penn State Nittany Lions are headed to Maryland this weekend to take on one of the best Collegiate Men’s Lacrosse teams in the nation.
Penn State kicked off their 2015 season play against Vermont last Saturday, and came out with a 15-8 victory over the Catamounts. They are hoping to transfer their high morale over to Saturday’s match.
JP Burnside, TJ Sanders, and Michael Richards will need to bring their top-level game this weekend, as they are some of the most important contributors on the Nittany Lion’s team.
Sanders was absolutely on fire last weekend, and will without a doubt bring that fire to the field Saturday.
Red shirt sophomore, Connor Darcey had a great game with 15 stops last weekend, and he will need to remain on point in Loyola this weekend.
The Nittany Lions are strong with offense as well, and as proven by last week, are capable of holding their opponent from scoring until the end.
Loyola lost their first match of 2015 play last Saturday against Virginia in a tight match to open the season.
Loyola has a strong offense, and boasts the talents of Nikko Pontrello. This is Pontrello’s senior season with the Greyhounds and he is co-captain of the team. During his junior season, he scored 51 goals for Loyola, the third most in Greyhound History. Spectators can look for Pontrello throwing the heat on Attack at this Saturday’s game. He will also be joining the Denver Outlaws after graduation, so it is clear he will be a star during Saturday’s match.
The Greyhounds strengths lie in their offensive game, and also in picking up ground balls. This strong offense will prove challenging for the Nittany Lions, and it will be up to the Lion’s defense and goal to step up.
It will be an exciting match to see as two great teams go head to head. It will be a game of defense abilities, as both team have strong offensive abilities.
Loyola and Penn State hit the field at 12 pm on Saturday in Baltimore.
