Men’s Lacrosse vs. Johns Hopkins Preview
After a not so ideal season for the Nittany Lions, they will aim to redeem themselves for one last time in the Big Ten tournament this weekend.
Penn State is heading into this contest looking to add one more win to its 3-10 record this season after an overtime loss to Rutgers in overtime last week.
This is the second consecutive season where the Blue Jays and Nittany Lions will match up in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, which will be hosted in College Park, Maryland.
Johns Hopkins leads Penn State by only one game in conference play, as they are 2-3 while the blue and white are 1-4, both teams with wins over Michigan. The Blue Jays would take the one game lead with their win over the Nittany Lions.
In the last meeting between the two teams, the Nittany Lions fell 13-10 to the Blue Jays. In all time matchups, Johns Hopkins is up seven wins over Penn State's four.
An untouchable offensive pair will be looking to put up goals early on for the Nittany Lions. Freshman Will Peden, who leads the team in assists with 20, will be working along with junior Mac Costin, who has a team high of 20 goals.
These two will have to take down the veteran Big Ten goalie Josh Kirson, the former Ohio State Buckeye goalkeeper who is finishing his career in the baby blue and white. He has a .465 save percentage on the season, and averaging 12.71 goals against per game.
Protecting the cage for Johns Hopkins are powerhouse defensive players Beaudan Szuluk and Owen McManus, the two together totaling 28 caused turnovers and 36 ground balls.
Both teams have young talent facing off in the circle; Johns Hopkins’ Tyler Dunn will match up with Penn State’s Hudson Bohn. Dunn is .500 in the circle this season, where Bohn is only .465.
Possession will be essential here for Bohn, as the Blue Jays are a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end of play. Senior Garrett Degnon leads the team in goals with 24, outsourcing each of his teammates by a minimum of 12 goals. Connor DeSimone, with a team high of 21 assists, has done an exceptional job setting him up for success throughout the season.
These two will have to power through the Penn State defense, led by Brayden Peck and Kevin Parnham, totaling 51 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers between the two.
The backbone of this defensive unit is Aleric Fyock in net, with an impressive .507 save percentage on the season.
The teams will face off at 12:00 p.m. this Saturday in College Park with the chance to redeem their low conference standings.
