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Wed Jun 9 2021 | Matt DaSilva | College
PHOTO BY RACHEL PINCUS / NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS
This story appears in the May/June edition of USA Lacrosse Magazine. Join our momentum.
When the NCAA outlawed the motorcycle grip and determined that all faceoffs would be contested from a standing-neutral grip position, Notre Dame’s Kyle Gallagher and Charlie Leonard were better suited than most specialists to adapt to the new rules.
Gallagher was part of a cohort of Long Island natives who used each other as lab rats. A group of college players that experimented with the SNG approach over the summer included Penn State’s Gerard Arceri and Duke’s Jake Naso, among others.
Back in 2019, Penn State men’s lacrosse came four goals short of having a chance to play for a national title in its own backyard in Philadelphia. Then, before a global pandemic in 2020, the Nittany Lions were one of the most well-equipped teams in the nation to make another run to the Final Four. So entering 2021, despite some roster turnover in key positions, Penn State was poised yet again to be a national powerhouse and make a run deep into the postseason.
That quickly proved untrue. After entering 2021 as the No. 7 team in the country, the Nittany Lions finished 4-7 and were bounced from the first round of the Big Ten Tournament by a 2-8 Johns Hopkins team. There were some high points, but the season was mostly made up of a lot of lows for Jeff Tambroni and the program.
After what has been described as a “humbling” 2021 season by Nittany Lions’ head coach Jeff Tambroni, No. 19 Penn State men’s lacrosse is ready to start up postseason play.
After going 1-4 during the first phase of the season, Penn State bounced back and went 3-2 to end the year. The two most recent games have been a 14-13 overtime win versus Michigan at home on Senior Day and a 10-9 upset victory over then-No. 15 Ohio State on the road.
The Nittany Lions are entering the Big Ten Tournament on a winning streak, and their first matchup will be against the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays. That game is set to take place at Panzer Stadium on Saturday at 6 p.m.