It s been a long week, and hopefully there was good focus at practice, because the horrible taste of the Rutgers loss needs to go. A depleted Penn State team is on the docket this week, at Panzer Stadium, and there s still everything to play for.
In fact, this game could be called a must-win game for Ohio State. Lose here, and it will take a miracle for this team to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017. And it s going to be a tough, tough, climb for the Buckeyes.
This year s Penn State is not the Final Four team of 2019. There s no Grant Ament this year for the Nittany Lions. His absence is a gaping hole in the team, as no one else is even close to able to replace him. The scheme is largely unchanged from the 2019 run, however the personnel isn t quite as effective.
Mac O’Keefe’s invisibility continued this week, and the Nittany Lions attack struggled without him.
How It Happened
Less than two minutes into the game the Nittany Lions went on the man advantage due to an illegal body check by Maryland, which passed without a goal. Minutes after the man advantage finished, Dan Reaume opened the scoring for Penn State, his fourth goal of the season.
Reaume with a rip! #WeAre
Under two minutes later, Maryland responded to the Nittany Lions goal, with Kyle Long launching the ball off the poll and getting it into Colby Kneese’s net. Moments later, Maryland’s Logan Winauskas scored, giving the Terrapins the 2-1 lead.
Empty venues bring a different wrinkle to games, but an already-established mentality and strong leadership have Penn State confident in its ability to weather the storm.
No. 4 Maryland men’s lacrosse vs. No. 13 Penn State preview
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Courtesy: Maryland Athletics
The best thing about starting the season 1-0 is having the chance to go 2-0. And for Maryland men’s lacrosse, a visit to Penn State provides an ample opportunity to do so.
With the No. 4 Terps coming off a massive victory and No. 13 Penn State returning home after a jarring loss, the conditions for a Friday night win seem considerably favorable, that is, until you observe what the Nittany Lions have to offer on paper.
“This is what makes the conference so good, every week there are gonna be challenges,” head coach John Tillman said. “If you wanna play good lacrosse you gotta be excited about challenges like this and not run from them but run to them.”
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