The Penn State Men’s Lacrosse team is traveling to Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the second game of their three-game travel sequence.
The Buckeyes just defeated Marquette last weekend to secure the first win of their season, and they are preparing to take on No. 10 Penn State.
OSU attributes last week’s success to the successful execution of face offs. The improvement in their face off technique was a weakness that the Buckeyes took control over and improved, as exhibited by their positive performance against Marquette. Freshman midfielder, Jake Withers certainly stood out by taking control of the face off front, winning 14 of the 21.
Ohio State also has a great offense that they are able to rely on when it matters. Senior attacker Adam Trombley is ready to make a huge impact during his last season with the Buckeyes, and he certainly took action by scoring two goals and also assisting the offense by distributing the ball. If the Buckeyes keep up this intense and improved level of play, they will definitely have a competitive game against Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are a strong team that loves a good Ohio State rival match. The team is coming off of the success of two wins over the last two weekends, and are only looking to improve their No. 10 NCAA ranking over the course of the season.
PSU has a strong defense, especially with Austin Kaut in goal. Not only was he drafted by the MLL, he also holds second place in Penn State’s lead saving goalies with 577 career saves. He attributes the success to the defense, while the defenders say that the wins wouldn’t exist without Kaut’s presence. The Nittany Lions have a capable offense, but their strength lies in their ability to defend against their opponent.
If the team is able to increase their scoring abilities against a strong defense and can keep their defense on point, there is no reason that the Nittany Lions can’t come out with a win in what is sure to be a competitive match.
