Penn State men’s lacrosse looking to hand Maryland its first loss
After losing its third straight game by just one goal, Penn State enters Sunday’s contest with a chip on its shoulder.
The Nittany Lions square-off against the No. 1 Maryland Terrapins at Panzer Stadium for the annual “Wear White” game.
The Terrapins have had a hot start to the 2022 campaign. The team kicked things off with wins over High Point and top-tier opponents in Loyola and Syracuse.
They then added wins over two teams currently in the top ten nationally, with a 15-10 win over No. 2 Princeton in College Park, and an 11-9 win over No. 10 Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
In the last two weeks, the team defeated Albany 24-6 at home and No. 3 Virginia 23-12 at Audi Field in front of over 10,000 fans.
Maryland currently sits with a 7-0 record and looks to continue its winning ways against the Nittany Lions, who are just 2-6 this season.
For the Terrapins, they have been on another level as a unit this season. They’ve outscored opponents 128-68 this season, averaged 14 more shots a game than their opponents and caused 28 more turnovers than their opponents this season.
They’ve unleashed an offensive onslaught on their opponents but matched it up well with consistent defensive performances.
Fifth-year attack Logan Wisnauskas has led the way with 23 goals, 17 assists and 40 points on the season to this point. Wisnauskas has been precise shooting .712% with shots on goal.
His 3.29 goals per game currently rank No. 13 in the NCAA and is No. 11 in the nation with 2.43 assists per game.
Wisnauskas has been a consistent presence for the Terrapins and with one of their most loaded rosters in recent years he will look to pilot them towards a national title.
Outside of Wisnauskas, Luke Wierman currently ranks No. 16 in the country with 7.57 ground balls per game and third in faceoff win percentage at .675 percent.
Graduate students Jonathan Donville and Keegan Khan have both been consistent presences as well with Donville holding 18 goals to his name, ranking second on the team, and Khan holding 12 assists, also ranking second on the team.
The Nittany Lions hold a tall task as they look to hand the undefeated Terrapins their first loss of the season. Since upsetting No. 14 Yale, the Nittany Lions have dropped three straight, losing to No. 6 Penn, No. 4 Cornell and Bucknell.
However, each loss was only by one goal, as the Nittany Lions hold four losses by one goal on the season to this point. The team knows how to play opposition close and give themselves a chance to win, and they will look to play spoilers with a similar strategy on Sunday.
The team will look to veterans Jack Kelly and Dan Reaume to lead the way. Kelly currently leads the team with 15 goals, also posting a .735 percent shot on goal percentage.
Reaume has 18 points on the season, best for third on the team. Both Kelly, the fifth-year senior and Reaume the redshirt senior will have to step under the lights to lead the team to success on Sunday.
The team will also look to their stud freshmen Will Peden and Jeb Brownfleck to continue their strong rookie seasons.
Brenfleck currently sits in third on the team in goals with 13 on the season. Peden leads the team with 14 assists, as the Downingtown native has stepped up as a leading facilitator thus far.
As the teams prepare to clash for the 40th time all-time, it’s been utter domination for the Terrapins to this point, winning 38 of the 39 previous matchups.
With conference play kicking off for both teams in this contest, the Nittany Lions will look to play disruptors and pull off a massive upset at home, while the Terrapins will look to handle business before a clash with Michigan next Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Dylan Price is a first-year majoring in journalism. To contact him, email dvp5625@psu.edu.
