Penn State enters NCAA lacrosse Final Four as unlikely overwhelming favorite

To the casual observer, Penn State has been an overnight sensation in men’s lacrosse. Though the Nittany Lions will be making their first championship weekend appearance in Philadelphia on Saturday, they look for all the world like the odds-on favorite to claim their initial title.

Penn State (16-1), the No. 1 overall seed, is riding a 13-game winning streak and features the nation’s top-rated offense totaling 18 goals a game. While the other three semifinalists all needed overtime to survive the quarterfinal round last weekend, the Nittany Lions fittingly won their tilt with Loyola (Md.) by a footballesque 21-14 margin.

“We’re extremely excited to be among such an elite group of lacrosse programs,” said Nittany Lions’ coach Jeff Tambroni. “Just having been part of this weekend before as a kid and as a coach, we’re just really happy to be in this environment.”

Penn State lacrosse player Grant Ament carries the ball during his team’s NCAA tournament game against Loyola (Md.). (Photo: Mingo Nesmith, Icon Sportswire via AP)

Should Penn State live up to its seed and bring home the championship, it will be the fifth program to join the first-time champs club this decade. But the Nittany Lions will have to earn it. Awaiting them in Saturday’s second semifinal contest is defending champion Yale (14-3). The fifth-seeded Bulldogs also happen to be the team responsible for Penn State’s lone loss this season. A pair of ACC rivals square off prior to the showdown as No. 2 Duke (13-4), the 2018 runner-up, meets No. 3 Virginia (15-3). Face-off at Lincoln Financial Field is slated for noon ET on ESPN2.

In reality, Penn State’s arrival on the big stage is the culmination of a much more gradual building effort over the past decade. It began with the 2011 hire of Tambroni, who won 109 games in a 10-year stint at Cornell that also included three Final Four appearances. The Nittany Lion program had enjoyed some modest success prior to Tambroni’s arrival. The first eight seasons under his direction included a couple of 12-win campaigns, and the formation of the Big Ten in lacrosse helped elevate the sport’s visibility.

It took until this year for PSU to earn its first NCAA tournament victory. The 2019 campaign included a few more steps as well, including a road win at perennial power Maryland and the program’s first Big Ten tournament title.

“It has been a process,” Tambroni said. “I think that’s what makes it so rewarding. Everyone’s had to doo their part and embrace their role, big or small, to put us in this position.”

It’s been the attack unit in particular that has given the Nittany Lions their identity this season, a group that seems custom built for year one of the shot-clock era with its ability to generate quality chances at will. The catalyst is Grant Ament, a Tewaaraton Award finalist who has 27 goals and an almost unfathomable 91 assists for the season. His top finisher is Mac O’Keefe with 75 goals, including nine last week in the win against Loyola.

Yale’s road back to championship weekend wasn’t always smooth, but the Bulldogs can put up some high goal totals themselves. They’re second in the nation at 15.65 a game, led by Jackson Morrill (43 goals, 45 assists). But Yale’s best chance to keep the Nittany Lions’ potent attack in check probably lies with face-off specialist TD Ierlan, who leads Division I with a .761 winning percentage. He won 25-of-31 draws to help Yale to the 14-13 triumph against Penn State back on Feb. 20.

“It’s just trying to get my guys to play day-to-day, which is what we’ve always done,” said Yale coach Andy Shay of his team’s bid to repeat. “It’s been kind of oppressive if I’m being honest. It’s interesting how you go 130 years without winning one, then you do and everyone expects you to do it again. It’s a different team. Every year you lose 10 or 11 guys and get 10 or 11 new guys and your chemistry is dramatically different. I feel like we had to learn that. Over the course of the season they’ve been really good about it, but it hasn’t been easy.”

Saturday’s other semifinal, of course, is also a rematch. Duke took its regular-season encounter with Virginia 12-7, though the Cavaliers later claimed the ACC tournament crown. The Blue Devils have the No. 1 defense among the quartet, surrendering just 9.41 goals a game. All-Americans JT Giles-Harris and Cade Van Raaphorst anchor the long-pole unit. UVa has a variety of weapons and likes to create chaos by contesting every clear attempt, which should provide an interesting stylistic contrast with Duke’s more controlled approach.

“You just have to be poised and patient,” said Duke coach John Danowski on trying to beat Virginia’s pressure. “Virginia is so explosive and so unselfish, and one of their guys can have four-and-one by halftime.”

The Cavaliers, in their first Final Four since winning the title in 2011, have made a habit this season of rallying from fourth-quarter deficits like last week’s comeback from five down to overtake Maryland in overtime.

“We had a Navy SEAL come talk to us last month,” said coach Lars Tiffany. “He said, ‘Man, you guys really like fighting uphill. You know, it’s all right to take the higher ground sometimes.’”

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