Tournament Trend 8 P
Enemy Lines WHAT RIVAL COACHES SAY
“Top goalie in the country... Tambroni’s recruits are finally here and need to make a big splash… Can Kaut stand on his head again?... Strengths: program momentum, zone defense in front of Kaut. Weakness: Tough to find one… After taking the prerequisite courses — a couple of years of recruiting and cultural changes — Tambo has his team poised to make a run for the final four.”
Penn State NITTANY LIONS
2013 RECORD: 12-5 (6-0 CAA) COACH: JEFF TAMBRONI (4TH SEASON) • RECORD AT PENN STATE: 28-18
09 10 11 12 13
Schedule Feb 8
Feb 15 Feb 22 Mar 1
Key Game This game has gone to OT
Tom LaCrosse
the last two years. Expect a tight and low-scoring contest. Penn State faces a brutal stretch before its CAA opener. It needs to win one of its three on the road.
Mar 10 Mar 15 Mar 18 Mar 22 Mar 29 Apr 5
Apr 12 Apr 19 Apr 26
Michigan Loyola
at Notre Dame at Ohio State at Denver UMass
Dartmouth Albany
Villanova at Drexel at Towson Delaware Hofstra
Projected Starters A Gavin Ahern (Sr.) G: 6
A T.J. Sanders (So.)* G: 44
A: 3 A: 5
enn State’s progression from mediocrity to national relevance has occurred right on schedule since the
Nittany Lions signaled their investment in lacrosse and hired Jeff Tambroni away from Cornell after the 2010 season. First there were growing pains, then a prominent place in the discussion for an NCAA tournament bid. Last spring, Penn State found itself seeded for the first time. All of those phases were expected. Of course, they also occasionally tested
the Tambroni’s patience. “We have taken the painfully slow steps,” Tambroni said. “You can’t skip any steps along the way. One, it’s enjoyable to
look back
when you do have success and know you did it right. Two, you just build a strong foundation,
not just on a single
point but for the longevity of your program.” Penn State looks like it will be around
for the long haul, which is precisely what the school wanted when it brought in Tambroni. Next year, the Nittany Lions move from the CAA to the Big Ten, with games against Johns Hopkins, Maryland and rival Ohio State.
A Publication of US Lacrosse X-Factor
A Shane Sturgis (Sr.)* G: 27
FO COLE YEAGER (GR.)
The Yale transfer is one of three players vying to replace Danny Henneghan. Penn State wants to play possession lacrosse.
One backlash of the move is that
the CAA banned Penn State from conference playoffs, denying it a shot at this year’s automatic qualifier. Otherwise, the senior-laden Nittany Lions might be favored to win the conference. Now there’s a greater onus on collecting quality victories in the first month. That actually plays to Penn State’s
recent trend. The Nittany Lions have played well early the last few seasons, only to fade in April. Tambroni knows he must strike a better balance to avoid wearing his team out as the spring comes to a close, but it will be a tricky task. “This year’s pretty unique to be playing
in a league and not having an opportunity to compete for an AQ,” Tambroni said. “Each game is going to be crucial. We have to walk the fine line of being extremely prepared without doing too much so by the end of the year we’re still fresh.” Penn State got a taste of the playoffs in
2013, ending an eight-year drought before losing in the first round to Yale. Tambroni hopes it will be better equipped to make a run after absorbing lessons from last spring. The Nittany Lions have never won an NCAA tournament game.
— P.S. February 2014 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 39
M Tom LaCrosse (Sr.)* G: 23
M Kyle VanThof (Sr.) G: 6
M Pat Manley (Jr.) G: 0
FO Cole Yeager (Gr.) FO%: 51.7
A: 17 A: 5 A: 8 A: 7
LSM Steven Bogert (Sr.)* GB: 80
D J.P. Burnside (Jr.)* GB: 26
D Tyler Travis (Sr.)* GB: 31
* returning starters
Top Returner G AUSTIN KAUT (SR.)
A first-team All-American last season, Kaut could be the best goalie in the country again this season. “He’s been very good, and that might be an understatement based on the last three years of his career,” Tambroni said. “We have a lot of confidence when he’s back there.”
Power Ratings (SCALE OF 1-5)
3 4 5 3 OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALIE FACEOFF
D Jack Donnelly (Jr.)* GB: 23
G Austin Kaut (Sr.)* GAA: 7.37
Pts: 0 (at Yale in 2012) CT: 16 CT: 11 CT: 17 CT: 14
SV%: 61.0
1ST
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