MLAX Set For Contest at Penn State
Apr 17 | Men's Lacrosse
| Rutgers at Penn State | |
| Date | Sunday, April 19,2015 |
| Time | 6:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | State College, Pa.|Penn State Lacrosse Field |
| Live Video | Mike WolfandGreg Bice |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Rutgers| Penn State |
| RVision | Men's Lacrosse Intro Video |
| BTN Video | BTN Analyzes @RUMLax |
| Rutgers Info | Quick Facts| Record Book |
| Statistics | Rutgers| Penn State |
| Social Media | @RUMLAx |Facebook/RutgersMLAX |
PISCATAWAY, N.J. --The Scarlet Knights head back on the road for a crucial road matchup against Penn State this weekend. Both teams will be looking for their first Big Ten Conference victory. The game, with a 6 p.m. faceoff, will be televised by the Big Ten Network with Mike Wolf and Greg Bice as the announcers.
The Scarlet Knights are looking to stop a three game losing streak, but have battled strongly against top teams this season while being unable to come away with the victory. In the last three games against ranked foes (No. 10/13 Princeton, No. 19/20 Johns Hopkins and No. 3/3 Maryland), the Scarlet Knights have lost by two or less goals each time and have held a lead at either halftime or after the third quarter.
Offensively, Scott Bieda continues to pace the Scarlet Knights. The junior leads the squad with 26 goals, 22 assists and 48 points on the year, and has totaled eight goals and nine assists in his past four games. Sophomore Christian Trasolini has 25 goals on the year, while freshman Jules Heningburg has 15 goals and eight assists. Along with freshman Chad Toliver's 10 goals and 14 assists, three of Rutgers' top six scorers are underclassmen.
Joe Nardella has been key for RU on faceoffs this season, he has won 192 of 285 (.673) draws this season, a number which places him among the nation's elite. The Tewaarton Award Finalist also leads the team with 109 ground balls. He will match up against Penn State's Drake Kreinz, who is 104-183 (.568) on the draw this year, as the senior looks to key Rutgers attack by gaining extra possessions.
Penn State opened the season at No. 14/17 in the nation, but currently boast a 3-8 record. The Nittany Lions are also 0-3 in conference play after losses to Maryland, Ohio State and Johns Hopkins (2 OT). TJ Sanders leads the offense with 21 goals and 10 assists, followed by Mike Sutton with 20 goals. In goal Connor Darcey holds a 10.17 goals-against average and .544 save percentage.
The Scarlet Knights hold a 41-20 edge in the all-time series, which dates back to 1946. It is the third most played series in Rutgers history, behind Princeton and Army. The game will be contested for a trophy, dubbed the "Friendship Bowl". The trophy was debuted in 1998 and has been won by Rutgers four times, although Penn State won the last meeting in 2011. It will be presented postgame to a captain from the winning team.
Penn State is led by fifth year head coach Jeff Tambroni, who also has former Scarlet Knight letter winner Chris Doctor serving as an assistant coach.
