Jan. 31, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's lacrosse team will wrap up its exhibition season on Saturday against future Big Ten rival Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field in Baltimore. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m.
Coming off a scrimmage Jan. 23 against Lehigh where Penn State had 36 of 43 rostered players see action, the Nittany Lions play Hopkins for the second straight year in a scrimmage.
On Jan. 23, Penn State's offense was led by returning scorers TJ Sanders (Orillia, Ont.) and Shane Sturgis (Downingtown, Pa.) who each potted three goals. Johns Hopkins hosted Georgetown the same night in Baltimore on a freezing evening.
The head coaches have a storied history with Penn State's Jeff Tambroni previously serving as Hopkins' head coach Dave Pietramala's assistant at Cornell. When Pietramala left for Hopkins, Tambroni took over the Big Red before landing at Penn State.
Next year the two teams will be playing games that count for the first time since 1946 as members of the newly formed Big Ten Conference for lacrosse. Penn State and Hopkins represent two of the six-team membership as Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan and Rutgers join the fray. Johns Hopkins is currently an independent program, while Michigan and Ohio State play in the ECAC, Maryland in the ACC and Rutgers in the Big East.
In the preseason USILA Coaches Poll released Monday, Penn State checked in at No. 9, while Hopkins earned a No. 11 ranking. In the Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, the Nittany Lions garnered No. 7 and the Blue Jays No. 13.
Penn State's 2014 regular-season campaign kicks off with a home game on Feb. 8 against Michigan at 1 p.m. at Holuba Hall before 2012 NCAA Champion Loyola visits Happy Valley Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.