UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State men's lacrosse is back on its home field Saturday as it hosts No. 7 Rutgers at Panzer Stadium. The game is scheduled for noon and will stream on Big Ten Network+.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Saturday, April 10 | 12 p.m.
Watch ($) | Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State trails 45-24 in the all-time series with Rutgers, but the Lions are 5-3 against the Scarlet Knights under head coach Jeff Tambroni.
• The teams first played in 1946.
• The Lions have won two of the last three games in the series. They beat Rutgers twice in 2019, the first time to clinch the Big Ten regular season title and the second time in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Rutgers won the first matchup between the teams this season 11-9 in a game that was closely contested from start to finish. The teams were tied 4-4 after one quarter and 7-7 after three quarters. TJ Malone, who led the Lions with five points on three goals and two assists, scored with 2:31, but the Lions couldn't get the game-tying goal.
SCOUTING THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
• No. 7 Rutgers is all alone in second place in the Big Ten standings at 5-2 following a 10-9 win over then-No. 14
• Scarlet Knights goalie Colin Kirst ranks first in the Big Ten in saves per game (12.57) and second in save percentage (.527). He had a big game in the first meeting with Penn State, making 15 saves on 24 chances.
• Rutgers is one of the best passing teams in the conference. The Scarlet Knights rank first in turnovers/game (12.43) and second in assists/game (8.43).
GAME 7 RECAP
• Penn State went on the road to play No. 3 Maryland and lost 17-10. Mac O'Keefe scored three goals in the contest to bring his career total to 209.
• Freshman Mark Sickler had his best statistical game at Penn State, totaling four points on one goal and three assists. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his performance.
• Gerard Arceri had a slight advantage at the faceoff x on the day, going 14-24.
CAREER HIGHS SET LAST GAME
• Mark Sickler — Points (4), Assists (3)
LOADED BIG TEN
• Playing only Big Ten teams this season has provided a challenge for all six programs in the conference. Five of the six teams have appeared in the USILA Poll at some point this season, while the sixth team has received votes.
• Four of Penn State's five losses came to teams that have been nationally ranked this season.
PENN STATE ON TV
• Penn State still has two TV games left on its schedule, including one on Big Ten Network (Michigan – April 16) and one on ESPNU (Ohio State – April 24).
• In total this regular season, five of the Lions' 10 games will be/were on TV, including three on ESPNU and two on Big Ten Network.
O'KEEFE NEARING NCAA GOALS RECORD
• Mac O'Keefe has 209 career goals and needs four to become the NCAA's all-time career goals leader.
• The record is currently held by Duke's Justin Guterding, who scored 212 goals in 75 games from 2015-18.
• O'Keefe's 209 goals have come in 62 games.
O'KEEFE GOAL STREAK
• Mac O'Keefe is first among active players with a 39-game goal-scoring streak.
• O'Keefe has 142 goals during that stretch.
• The last game O'Keefe didn't score a goal was in a 9-7 loss to Cornell on March 10, 2018.
MALONE LEADS THE OFFENSE
• T.J. Malone has established himself as one of the leaders on the offensive end for Penn State in his junior season.
• He currently leads the team in points (27), and assists (12).
• Malone picked up right where he left off in the shortened 2020 season, in which he had 23 points on 16 goals and seven assists in seven games. As a freshman in 2019, he totaled 36 points on 30 goals and six assists.
KNEESE REACHES SAVES MILESTONE
• Colby Kneese made his 600th career save during Penn State's game at Johns Hopkins on March 13.
• Kneese currently ranks third in program history in career saves with 644. He needs 43 to pass Austin Kaut (2011-14) for third and 62 to pass Drew Adams (2006-09) for the record.
TAMBRONI REACHES MILESTONE
• Jeff Tambroni, who is in his 21st season as a head coach, is 200-99.
• His .669 winning percentage ranks sixth among all active NCAA Division I coaches.
• Tambroni's 91 wins at Penn State are the second-most in program history.
• Tambroni's .607 winning percentage at Penn State is easily the best in program history. Glenn Thiel is second at .559.
• Tambroni has had just one losing season in his 20 completed seasons as head coach.
UP NEXT
• Penn State hosts Michigan on Friday, April 16, at 5 p.m. The game will air live on Big Ten Network.
• The Wolverines are 2-5 following a 13-10 win over Johns Hopkins.
