Michigan
Penn State
Wolverines to Host No. 1 Penn State on Saturday
4/9/2019 2:44:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
» Brent Noseworthy is four goals away from becoming the first Wolverine in program history to eclipse the 100-goal mark in a career.
» Decker Curran enters the contest two points away from becoming the fourth Wolverine in program history to score 100 points in their career.
» The matchup is the second time in program history that U-M has hosted the No. 1 team in the nation.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, April 13 -- vs. No. 1 Penn State (U-M Lacrosse Stadium), noon
Live Stats | Live Video | Coach Conry Interview (WTKA)
Promotions: Military Appreciation Day, T-shirt giveaway, Free admission with M Card [ more ]
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The University of Michigan men's lacrosse team (3-7, 0-2 Big Ten) will welcome No.1-ranked Penn State (9-1, 2-0 Big Ten) to U-M Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday (April 13) at noon, and the matchup will be streamed live on BTN Plus.
Opponent Preview
Penn State
The Nittany Lions enter Saturday's matchup as the nation's No. 1 team with a 9-1 overall record and a 2-0 record in Big Ten play. Penn State's lone loss came against a common U-M opponent in Yale by a 14-13 count on Feb. 23. PSU also boasts wins over other common opponents in Jacksonville (24-11), Cleveland State (15-11), and Maryland (13-10). Michigan is 2-1 against those teams, defeating Cleveland State, 10-8, in the season opener (Feb. 9) and Jacksonville, 11-10, on Feb. 24. The Wolverines fell to Maryland, 16-12, last Saturday (April 6).
Last season, U-M knocked Penn State out of the Big Ten Tournament race and NCAA Tournament consideration, with a 10-9 overtime win in State College. Overall, PSU leads 6-1 the all-time series against Michigan. Saturday will be the second time U-M has hosted the No. 1-ranked team, with the first contest coming on March 18, 2014, vs. No. 1 Maryland.
PSU boasts the top offense in the country, averaging 17.30 goals/game, and leads the NCAA in shooting percentage (43 percent), assists (10.20/game), points per game (27.50), and man-up offense (60 percent).
Attackman Grant Ament leads the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in points-per-game (7.33) and leads the country in assists (6.00/game). Fellow attackman Mac O'Keefe leads the country in goals-per-game (4.10) and is No. 10 in points-per-game with 5.10 per contest.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions rank No. 22 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten, allowing 10.20 goals per contest. Goalie Colby Kneese is averaging 10.30 stops a contest with a save percentage of 54. He ranks No. 15 in in goals-against average (9.72). Close defender Chris Sabia leads the team with 13 caused turnovers to go along with 20 ground balls. At the dot, Gerard Arceri is winning 61 percent of his draws, ranking 15th nationally.
Wolverine Bites
• Senior Decker Curran marked a pair of goals against Maryland on Saturday (March 6) and enters the matchup with Penn State boasting 98 career points, putting him two points away from becoming the fourth Wolverine to reach the 100-point plateau (Brent Noseworthy, Ian King, Kyle Jackson). Curran, who ranks fifth on the team in goals with 15, has also marked a career-best 10 assists to rank third on the squad.
• With three games remaining in the regular season, U-M welcomes the No. 1 Nittany Lions, and will then travel to Rutgers, before closing the season against No. 12 Ohio State. To this point of the campaign, U-M has played 24th-toughest schedule in the nation, according to LaxBytes.com. The combined record of Michigan's Big Ten conference opponents is 37-14.
• Sophomore Alex Buckanavage leads U-M in points (39) and points-per-game (3.90) to rank seventh in the Big Ten. The 39 points rank sixth in program history, nine shy of U-M's program record of 48, held by teammate Brent Noseworthy.
• With a rash of injuries at the faceoff position, Michigan has gone 52-of-175 (29.7 percent) at the dot over the last five games. U-M has utilized six different players at the dot over that span and is 2-1 in contests this season when winning the faceoff battle.
• The U-M offense has accounted for 66 goals over the past five games despite its struggles at the 'X.' Michigan is scoring 1.26 goals per faceoff won and is the only Big Ten team that has more goals (119) than faceoff wins (104) on the season. The U-M offense is No. 18 nationally in offensive efficiency.
• Senior Brent Noseworthy, who missed three games this season due to injury, has scored in back-to-back contests since his return to the lineup. He has scored at least one point in 35 straight games, the 10th-longest streak in the country. He is four goals away from becoming the first Wolverine in program history to hit the 100-goal mark in a career.
• With four points against Maryland, sophomore Kevin Mack ranks second on the team with 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists). He has scored a point in 23 straight games, and has a point in all but one of his contests as a Wolverine.
Ticket Information
Tickets are on sale for the U-M men's lacrosse team's two remaining home games. General admission tickets are available for $6 and group tickets (10 or more) on sale for $3 each. Group experiences are also available. [ Tickets ]
Tweet of the Week
The first 500 fans on Saturday will receive this FREE Michigan Lacrosse Military Appreciation Day t-shirt! ??
— Michigan Men's Lacrosse (@UMichLacrosse) April 9, 2019
Faceoff is slated for Noon vs. No. 1 @PennStateMLAX!#ProveIt | #GoBlue?? pic.twitter.com/sYVe9oy5kz
Keep Up With the Wolverines
Stay current with everything going on with the Wolverines by following Michigan men's lacrosse on Twitter and Instagram (@umichlacrosse), on Snapchat (@umichathletics) and by "liking" the Wolverines on Facebook! Inside access can also be found via the team's YouTube page by searching 'MgoBlueLacrosse.'
Next Week
Saturday, April 20 -- at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 3 p.m.
