Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/3/17
From Press Releases and Staff Reports
The 8th-ranked University of Pennsylvania men’s lacrosse team (2-0) travels to No. 5 Penn State (4-0) Saturday in a classic battle of Pennsylvania teams filled with Philly gradsat 12 p.m. at Holuba Hall in University Park.
FORMER PHILLY TEAMMATES NOW RIVALS: In a 2013 photo, current Penn State standout Grant Ament (20) is joined by current Penn standout Reilly Hupfeldt – they are two of many former teammates and Philly grads that will play Saturday when No. 5 Penn State hosts No. 8 Penn
The Quakers rose in the polls this week following their 11-10 win over then-No. 6 Virginia last Saturday at Franklin Field. The win matched the highest victory over a ranked opponent in the Mike Murphy era as the Quakers improved to 2-0 on the season. Penn State is off to its first-ever 4-0 start and best ranking in years.
#8 PENN (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) at #5 PENN STATE (4-0, 0-0 Big 10)
Saturday, March 4, 2017 * 12:00 p.m. | at Penn State, 36th meeting (Penn State leads, 22-13)
Saturday’s contest marks the 36th meeting in series history between the two sides with Penn State leading 22-13. The Nittany Lions and Quakers renewed their rivalry in 2015 following a 38 year hiatus and have split the series 1-1 in 2015 and 2016; Penn registered an 11-7 win at home last season while PSU claimed a 14-11 victory in University Park just two years ago. The Quakers are looking for their first win on PSU’s turf since 1974 on Saturday, while the two sides first met in 1923.
Philly players on rosters
Penn
26 Gibby Brook G Freshman 5’7″ 150 lbs Philadelphia Pa. Holy Ghost Prep
34 James Campbell M Freshman 5’8″ 155 lbs Norwalk Conn. Hun School
43 Tyler Earley A Senior 6’0″ 195 lbs Maple Glen Pa. Deerfield Academy
18 Kevin Gayhardt D Senior 6’6″ 225 lbs Bryn Mawr Pa. Episcopal Academy
20 Adam Goldner A Freshman 5’9″ 180 lbs Allentown Pa. Malvern Prep
22 Chris Hilburn M Senior 5’9″ 190 lbs West Chester Pa. Malvern Prep
10 Reilly Hupfeldt A Junior 6’2″ 215 lbs Haverford Pa. Haverford School
41 Connor Keating D Junior 6’3″ 205 lbs Gladwyne Pa. Haverford School
2 Noah Lejman D Sophomore 6’4″ 205 lbs Blue Bell Pa. Haverford School
4 Kevin McGeary M Junior 5’11” 205 lbs Newtown Square Pa. Malvern Prep
5 Mike Mulqueen D Sophomore 5’11” 195 lbs Malvern Pa. Malvern Prep
17 Ryan Murray D Freshman 6’0″ 203 lbs Malvern Pa. Malvern Prep
11 Keyveat Postell A Freshman 6’1″ 180 lbs Philadelphia Pa. Haverford School
39 Tom Stevens D Freshman 6’1″ 175 lbs Havertown Pa. Roman Catholic
12 Alex deMarco G Freshman 5’8″ 180 lbs Malvern Pa. Haverford School
Penn State
1 Grant Ament SO A 5-9/165 Doylestown, Pa./The Haverford School
4 Chris Isenberg JR M 6-1/170 Glen Mills, Pa./Malvern Prep
7 Tanner Peck JR M 6-1/210 Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove
11 Matt Donnelly SO M 5-7/165 Sewell, N.J./Clearview Regional
12 Tyler Butler JR D 5-9/205 Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks East
19 Will Schreiner JR G 6-1/210 Kemblesville, Pa./Avon Grove
24 Tyler Chambers SR M 5-9/190 Media, Pa./Episcopal Academy
25 Chris Sabia SO D 6-2/185 Harleysville, Pa./The Haverford School
33 Tripp Traynor JR M 5-10/180 Downingtown, Pa./Malvern Prep
36 Brandon Stern SO M 5-11/175 Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill East
39 Mike Sutton SR M 5-9/194 Sewell, N.J./St. Augustine Prep
42 Jimmy Nowoswiat SO A 6-3/225 Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville
43 Nick Cardile FR D 6-1/180 West Grove, Pa./Avon Grove
Mesa Fresh Lacrosse connections:
Penn – Lejman, Keating, McGeary, Mulqueen, Gayhardt, Hilburn, de Marco, Earley, Hupfeldt (Mesa U), Alex Roesner-Mesa U
Penn State – Ament, Sabia, Cardile, Butler, Traynor, Isenberg, Drake Kreinz (Mesa U)
Duke’s LC connections: Penn – Goldner, Hupfeldt, de Marco, Earley, Hilburn, Murray, Postell.
Penn State – Ament, Peck, Donnelly, Butler, Schreiner, Chambers, Isenberg and Sutton. Ament, Peck, Butler and Sutton were Duke’s Captains.
ABOUT THE QUAKERS
• Penn is 2-0 on the early season following a 10-5 win at Saint Joseph’s and an 11-10 victory at home against then-No. 6 Virginia. The Quakers are 2-0 for the second time in three years and have moved up to No. 8 in the USILA Coaches Poll following their season-opening performances.
• Sophomore attackman Simon Mathias and junior long-stick midfielder Connor Keating (Haverford School) were selected to the 2017 Tewaaraton Award Watch List as two of 50 players nominated for the prestigious award. Mathias was a 2016 Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year while Keating returns as a USILA Honorable Mention All-American. The duo are two of eight Ivy Leaguers on the initial watch list.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Reed Junkin was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for Feb. 27 following his 16 save performance against the Cavaliers. Junkin has made 31 stops through two games and boasts a 7.50 goals against average and a 67% save percentage following 120 minutes in net.
• The Quakers enter Saturday’s matchup ranked No. 8 in the USILA Coaches Poll, No. 8 in the Maverik/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and No. 7 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll. Yale joins the Quakers at No. 7 in the USILA Coaches Poll while Brown, Harvard and Princeton are receiving votes.
• Penn will play against six teams ranked or receiving votes in the current USILA Coaches Poll in 2017: Penn State, Yale, Virginia, Brown, Harvard and Princeton.
• The Quakers are currently tops in the NCAA in man-down defense, turning away 9:00 minutes worth of EMO chances of their opposition. The Red and Blue defense and goalkeeper Reed Junkin are also second in saves per game, averaging 15.5/game, while Junkin also ranks third with a 67% save percentage.
• Penn and Harvard are the only two remaining undefeated teams in the Ivy League following two weeks of action in the Ancient Eight, and are two of 14 teams in the NCAA without a loss.
• Reilly Hupfeldt (Haverford School) has scored three man-up goals through two games on the season, placing him fifth in the NCAA and first in the Ivy League in the category.
• A trio of seniors have been tapped to lead the Red and Blue as captains in 2017: Tyler Earley, Austin Kreinz and Kevin Gayhardt (Episcopal Academy).
• The Quakers return four of five All-Ivy honorees from just a year ago: Connor Keating, Kevin Gayhardt, Reed Junkin and Simon Mathias look to lead the Red and Blue this season.
• Four sophomores: Alex Roesner, Simon Mathias, Tyler Dunn, and Noah Lejman (Haverford School), along with Penn Associate Head Coach Pat Myers, all represented Penn and the gold medal-winning USA team at the FIL U19 World Championship held in British Columbia last summer.
ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
• Penn State has four games under their belts this season including wins over Robert Morris, Hobart, Cornell and Villanova. The Nittany Lions have outscored their opponents by a 73-48 margin on the season and own the second best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 18.25 goals per game.
• Mac O’Keefe leads the team with 27 points via 24 goals and three assists, while Grant Ament (Haverford School)14g, 11a), Nick Aponte (5g, 8a) and Nick Spillane (6g, 6a) are all in double-digits for the season.
• On the defensive end, Cobly Kneese has played the majority of minutes in net and boasts an 11.22 GAA and a 52% save percentage. Gerard Arceri is the primary face-off specialist and has won 69% of his attempts on the year (75-of-114).
• The Nittany Lions claim one of the most potent offenses in the nation, and are second in the country in points per game (30.50) and scoring offense (18.25). They also rank in the top-10 in assists per game, clearing percentage, face-off winning percentage, ground balls per game, scoring margin, shot percentage and winning percentage.
• Ament was named both the Alpha Lacrosse National Player of the Week, presented by Inside Lacrosse, and the USILA/BSN Sports D1 Lacrosse Player of the Week two weeks ago. Ament is the first Penn State player to ever be named national player of the week by either Inside Lacrosse or the USILA.