WHEN: Saturday
WHERE: Happy Valley/State College, PA
The Loyola Greyhounds will travel to frigid Happy Valley this weekend to take on Penn State for the team’s first meeting since 2009. The game will take place at the outdoor lacrosse facility as requested by Loyola. The forecast for the game is going to be rough for both teams, with a high of 25, and wind gusts up to 21 mph. The opening faceoff will be at 1 pm.
The Penn State Men’s Lacrosse team had a great opening game last Saturday against Michigan. The Nittany Lions crushed the Wolverines 22-7 and they are hoping to do the same against Loyola this weekend.
Some key factors in the success of Penn State last weekend was that the defense was working together in a perfect harmony, the defenders hardly let any of Michigan’s attackers get near the goal, and when they did, Kaut stopped almost everything that came in his path. PSU’s offense also had a great showing last Saturday, especially Shane Sturgis. Sturgis scored career-high six goals in the match, followed closely by teammate TJ Sanders, who scored five goals.
Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni will not let the team become complacent with the outcome of Saturday’s game. Although PSU had a great showing, he is the type of coach that will be pushing the team in practices all week to assure they are constantly bettering their skills and increasing teamwork.
If PSU can keep bringing the heat on defense, Kaut holds his ground in goal, and their offense takes every opportunity to score, they will have no issues keeping the pace of Saturday’s game competitive.
The Loyola Men’s Lacrosse team is hoping to take the Nittany Lions down this Saturday. After taking a hard overtime loss this past weekend against Virginia (13-14 ), the Greyhounds have been working on their already strong defensive skills and are hoping to challenge PSU’s offense.
Loyola is making their first appearance in the Patriot League this season, and were picked in the preseason coach’s poll to dominate the league. Senior goalkeeper Jack Runkel has returned for his last season to lead the Greyhounds to top the Patriot League. Senior defender Joe Fletcher will also be a player to watch during Saturday’s game at Penn State. The MLL’s New York Lizards recruited Fletcher in this past draft. The third round pick was the highest a Greyhound has ever been selected.
Both teams are eager to compete this weekend, and I think that this matchup will be a pretty even one. It will be interesting to see how each team improves from their last game. The weather might also be a deciding factor in the outcome of the game. Loyola does have an edge because they do not play indoors, however the Nittany Lions are often more successful on their home turf.
