Penn State men’s lacrosse puts on show in Blue and White Game
University Park, Pa. – In anticipation of the 2023 spring season, Panzer Stadium featured a preview of the upcoming Nittany Lions roster. As Penn State alumni were honored on such a special night, the current blue and white put on a show.
Team Blue, led by assistant coach John Haus, started off the action with back-to-back early first quarter goals from Jack Traynor. Team White and assistant coach Joe Bucci got on the board thanks to the offensive catalyst, Mac Costin, pinning the top corner of the net.
Jumping to the second quarter, Cam Sanderson added two goals for Team Blue as it took a 9-4 lead into half. With a strong showing of Penn State faithful in attendance, Team White inched closer, but it wasn't enough to capture the win. Under the lights on Friday night, Team Blue took the win, 14-10.
Led by Head Coach Jeff Tambroni, the Nittany Lions look to have a bounce-back year after going 3-11 (1-4 in the Big Ten) in 2022. Tambroni, the 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year, returns for his 13th year this spring and comes into the season ranking seventh among all active Division I coaches with 205 career wins.
In the 2022 campaign, the Blue and White fell to Johns Hopkins in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfina,, but high hopes surround the team of making it back and going even further in the postseason.
Penn State added 12 commits in the 2022 recruiting class, including 5-star Matt Lazzaro (Deerfield Academy, Mass..) and 4-stars Ben Spinelli (The Taft School, CT.) and Alex Ross (Archbishop Spalding High School, MD.). Penn State also landed a faceoff specialist in Tyler Kuprianchik (Northport Senior High School, NY).
“We're fired up to get after it tonight and to put on a show for the alumni, friends and family,” Kuprianchik said after his first action as a Nittany Lion. “Tonight is a big night for us… just going out there and giving 100% and competing.”
The blue and white return its offensive leaders as well. Midfielder Mac Costin led the team with 24 goals while attackmen Will Peden finished the season with 22 assists. The two are expected to have strong showings in the 2023 season.
Between the posts, the Nittany Lions return their backstop, Aleric Fyock. Fyock capped off his redshirt junior season with 139 saves and a .507 save percentage. With a strong returning core, Penn State aims to bring the Big Ten Championship back to Happy Valley for the first time since 2019.
Jasper Abrahams is a freshman majoring in communications. To contact him, email jasperabrahams@gmail.com.
