Penn State returns to Panzer for pivotal matchup with Yale

Following a heartbreaking 12-11 loss on the road against Navy, the Nittany Lions are returning home to play an under-the-radar Yale Bulldogs team at Panzer Stadium. 

Jeff Tambroni’s team has played two home games this season, but both were played at Holuba Hall, making this matchup against the Bulldogs feel like the true home opener. 

“It’s like a season opener, like I know that obviously we’ve had a couple games at home already, but this is like the true season opener for us,” Tambroni said. “There’s a great deal of excitement to go down there to [Panzer Stadium]. We’re so appreciative of what Ken Panzer has done for us, amongst other alums, to put a stadium like that together, and you know, in our opinion, there’s just nothing like that to have that kind of atmosphere.” 

This will be the tenth all-time matchup between the programs. Yale leads the all-time series record 5-4, but the Nittany Lions have won the last four matchups. 

Penn State keys to success: Activate Aquino & determined defense  

Hunter Aquino had his lowest point total of the season (two points) on the road against Navy, which led to Kyle Lehman carrying the offense (four points) last weekend. While Lehman is an excellent player in his own right, the offense is a juggernaut when Aquino is at his best. 

Coach Tamrboni touched on Aquino battling an illness last week leading up to the game, but didn’t want to make that an excuse for his star sophomore midfielder, and said Aquino wouldn’t make the excuse either for his performance. 

Offensive coordinator John Haus needs an 100% Aquino to get the most out of his offense, and if he gets that on Saturday, it should be a smoother sailing effort from his group, especially if Penn State wants to match the excellent Yale offense. 

The Bulldogs are scorching to start the season on offense, and the Nittany Lions have a lot of respect for how they are finishing this year. 

“They seem to be playing a really confident, free-flowing style right now, which is harder to prepare for,” Tambroni said. “I would imagine their confidence is high coming off a couple of wins.”

With an up-and-down start to the year between the pipes for freshman netminder Preston Hawkins, the Nittany Lions need to elevate their play defensively to help the young goaltender out. Yale will have opportunities, and they’ll score goals, but Penn State needs to make the game as easy as possible for the young goalie. 

Shutting down Yale isn’t an easy science, but making it difficult to get easy looks is attainable for defensive coordinator Joe Bucci’s group. 

Scouting Yale

The Yale offense is led by sophomore Connor Gately and true freshman Sean Grogan at attack, and senior David Anderson has contributed at a high rate, too. 

In the past few seasons, the Bulldogs had veteran leaders paving the way on offense, which led to plenty of familiarity when scouting the group. This year, with the fresh faces in the lineup, it’s added a layer of nuance to scouting. 

“What impresses us more when we break down the film is their ability to process the game at a high level,” Tambroni said about the young attackmen. “What they’ve been able to do in a short period of time is very impressive and certainly has our respect in a short period of time.”

Yale has solid depth in the midfield room and is continuing to learn about itself each game it plays. 

On the backend, the Bulldogs are more mature and are led by senior Patrick Pisano at close defense. Pisano is the ringer on the backend, and junior long stick midfielder Luke Michalik has been excellent between the boxes, causing 2.33 turnovers a game, which is 10th best nationwide. 

However, the real game-changer as of late has been sophomore netminder Ben Friedman. Coming off a 21-save performance against Boston University, Friedman is red-hot, and Penn State recognizes the challenge they’ll face between the pipes. 

“We recognize the challenge that our shooters are going to have against him,” Tambroni said. “We have to make sure we’re generating a lot of good shots to make sure that we’re putting ourselves in a good position.”

Notes from last year’s contest

The Nittany Lions won last year’s contest 15-9 on the road in New Haven. It was an interesting game for coach Tambroni’s side because star attackman Matt Traynor went down with an injury midway through the contest. 

Traynor’s injury paved a road for Lehman to record a five-goal performance, and it was a breakout game for Aquino, who had seven points (2G, 5A). It was the first time Aquino announced his abilities to the nation and gave a glimpse at the type of player he is. 

This season, it should be another great game between these two storied programs at beautiful Panzer Stadium at 1 p.m. on Saturday.