No. 15 Penn State dominates Yale in Panzer Stadium opener

Penn State decimated Yale on home turf with 13 different goal scorers, leading to the squad's 17-7 victory over the Bulldogs. 

A week removed from a backbreaking loss against Navy on the road, it was an outstanding response from Jeff Tambroni’s team. From a dominant performance at the faceoff stripe to veterans leading on both ends of the field, the entire team was firing on all cylinders. 

For the Nittany Lions, 11 of the 17 goals (64.7%) the team scored on Saturday were assisted. It was an excellent display of unselfish offense, leading to success for numerous players in the lineup. 

“I think that’s how we’re going to have to win right now,” Tambroni said. “There were days last year where Matt Traynor would take over. I’m not sure we have that right now.”

Freshman Jack Iannantuono led the team with six points (2G, 4A) and factored in on the first four goals of the game for the Nittany Lions. His two goals and two assists in the first quarter helped earn Penn State the 4-1 edge at the end of the stanza. 

That’s when the floodgates started to open. 

Tambroni’s team outshot Yale 10-3 in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 5-1 in the frame. It brought the team’s lead to 9-2 at the end of the half. 

The quarter had some drama of its own when coach Tambroni challenged a no-goal call on the field after the refs determined Mark Watters was in the crease before scoring a goal. Tambroni won the challenge, and the call was reversed, leading to Watters notching his first career goal as a Nittany Lion. 

A major proponent for Penn State’s success on Saturday was the dominance from the faceoff room. Junior Colby Baldwin and sophomore Reid Gills combined for a 75% effort at the stripe, winning 21-of-28 draws during the contest. Baldwin went 10-f0r-14 while Gills went 11-for-14. Penn State was able to play make-it-take-it lacrosse all afternoon because of Baldwin and Gills. 

Despite the excellence at the faceoff, coach Tambroni noted the team needs more balance. 

“We have to recognize how important it is to be more balanced, and if they’re not performing at this level, this is when we’ve struggled,” Tambroni said. “In the future, we’re going to have to find a balance where if they’re not playing well, who else is going to provide the spark, whether it’s in goal, the defensive end, or be more efficient offensively.”

As Baldwin and Gills continued to dominate the second half, the third quarter became Luke Walstrum’s impact quarter. The midfielder notched a goal and an assist in the stanza en route to his five-point (2G, 3A) performance. It was the third five-point effort of the senior’s career. 

Hobart transfer John Jude Considine added two impact goals in the third quarter, adding to the team’s balanced attack throughout the afternoon. 

The Nittany Lions led 15-5 after 45 minutes of game action.

Both teams scored two goals in the final quarter of the game, resulting in a 17-7 final score. Penn State was able to trot out multiple depth pieces late in the contest with the large lead. 

Attackman Wesley Scurci picked up his first goal of the season, a beneficiary of the backups seeing action in the final quarter. 

Senior defenseman Alex Ross was excellent throughout the contest, recording three caused turnovers and scooping four groundballs. Ross’s classmate and fellow defender Will Costin was also excellent, notching his second career goal and adding three ground balls and two caused turnovers to his bill. 

“I think Alex [Ross] has been really consistent throughout, and we’ve really had to lean on him,” coach Tambroni said. “He’s the one proven commodity back in the defensive end. Will [Costin] today, I thought, really did step his game up from where he’s been the last couple of weeks to today, and it made a significant difference.”

Penn State is continuing its gauntlet of a schedule with two more non-conference games before the Big Ten Conference schedule begins. It’s been an up-and-down start to the year, but the team is focused on improving its process week after week. 

The Nittany Lions return to Panzer Stadium next Saturday to play the reigning national champions, the Cornell Big Red. The game starts at 1 p.m. and is the team’s Youth Lacrosse Day, where it welcomes youth players from across the state to join the fans at Panzer.