Blue White Illustrated

O n a team with as much attacking firepower as the Penn State men's lacrosse squad, the only potential road- block standing in front of an offensive outburst is the fact that there's only one ball to go around. But the Nittany Lions' six attackmen don't seem to mind sharing. In fact, it's what their attack is predicated on. "Our offense is set up more to take advantage of all six guys and not just any one guy," coach Jeff Tambroni said. "It's a selfless enough group that they pass on some low-angle or longer-distance shots to create better opportunities for their teammates." As a result, the Nittany Lions lead the nation in nearly every offensive statistic. And it's not particularly close. Heading into a visit to Maryland on March 31, Penn State's average of 18.38 goals per game was more than two goals better than any other team in the country, and the Nittany Lions have been one of only two teams to average double-digit assists. No program boasts a better scor- ing margin, and the NCAA leaders in scoring and assists are Penn State's Mac O'Keefe and Grant Ament, respectively. While it's O'Keefe and Ament who re- ceive most of the accolades – both have found their names on the Tewaaraton Award watch list, which is the highest honor in college lacrosse – it's the group as a whole that has been the most impressive. "I just think it all kind of comes back to our selflessness and waiting for a great shot, not just a good shot," senior Nick Spillane said. "It's a culture within our offense that we don't want to play selfish. It's all about everyone else and looking out for the betterment of the other guys on the offense." The roots of Penn State's unselfish play have been growing for a few years, but in 2018 the attack was forced to spread the ball around when Ament had to redshirt due to an injury. A lot of pressure was put on the shoulders of O'Keefe, who led the team in goals and points, but did so some- what inefficiently. While Tambroni said Ament makes everyone around him better, the ninth-year head coach added that playing last season without the team's star attacker gave the rest of the squad important experience. That experience is showing in Penn State's huge offensive numbers so far in 2019. "We've faced a lot of adversity over the last couple of years, not only with [Ament's injury] but in terms of games, in terms of obstacles," Tambroni said. "They've faced so much that we feel like they are hardened to a certain degree and prepared to face basically anything that the lacrosse field will present to them." Now that Ament has his health back, he's headlined an attacking six that is better than any other offensive group in the country, and to an extent it comes down to an adherence to a mindset of quality over quantity. Penn State as a team has raised its shooting efficiency from 34 percent in 2018 to 43 percent this season – another stat in which the Lions lead the nation – and O'Keefe himself has bumped his shooting efficiency 10 points from his sophomore season. "This is a group that has really done a great job of working on their own craft," Tambroni said. "The mindset of the group has to be there, and so does the tal- ent, in order for them to progress in that way. ... I think if any one of the six pulled back and chose to make it more about themselves than about the group, then I think the efficiency would be nowhere near where it is today." With as much talent as Penn State has, that change in mindset means that qual- ity actually yields quantity. "Coach always stresses 'ADP,' which is angle, distance and placement," Spillane said. "Not a day goes by watching film where Coach doesn't stress that that's what's most important, looking for the other five guys on the field." With the combination of talent, experi- ence and now a penchant for shooting ef- ficiency, Penn State is on course to make its fifth NCAA tournament appearance – and perhaps have a chance to win its first. "We feel pretty comfortable that if the situation changes throughout the course of the week, week to week, game to game, we have enough guys who have seen it al- ready or have a good enough feel that they're going to be able to get us through," Tambroni said. ■ VARSITY VIEWS SQUAD GOALS An unselfish, team-oriented approach has enabled the Penn State laxers to excel on oense | SPILLANE MEN'S LACROSSE Lions earn road victory over No. 3 Maryland No. 1-ranked Penn State defeated No. 3 Maryland, 13-10, on March 31 in College Park, Md., earning the program's 3rst varsity win over the Terrapins. Penn State moved to 3- 40 all-time against the Terps, but its two previous wins came in 1916 and 1920 before Maryland began 3elding a varsity team in 1924. The Nittany Lions used a bal- anced o4ense and a solid defensive stand to win the game, as eight players scored goals and nine play- ers recorded points. ■

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