Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1495456
5 0 A P R I L 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State men's lacrosse team didn't win a single road game dur- ing its hard-luck 2022 season, so perhaps it wasn't surprising that coach Jeff Tambroni sensed some unease in the locker room prior to the Nittany Lions' matchup against seventh-ranked Yale on Feb. 25. The frigid weather in New Haven, Conn., that day likely contributed to the game's foreboding atmosphere, as did the series history, which favored the hosts 4-2. And yet, Penn State got off to a blazing start. The Nittany Lions stormed out to an 8-1 lead in the first period thanks largely to a 4-goal barrage from sophomore mid- fielder Matt Traynor. In the second half, they held off a scoring flurry by the Bull- dogs to post a 13-11 victory. Afterward, Tambroni said it felt as though something had changed. "Getting on that bus, you could almost feel a sense of relief within our guys, and I think it went a long way," the 13th-year Nittany Lion mentor told host Steve Jones during a recent appearance on "The Penn State Coaches Show." "We got back to State College, got back to practice, and guys really seemed to have a whole different sense of confidence in themselves, and in the team." That newfound swagger was evident in Penn State's results the next two week- ends. On March 4, the Nittany Lions took down 10th-ranked Penn 15-9 at Panzer Stadium, and a week later they handed No. 3 Cornell a 10-6 defeat on its home field in Ithaca, N.Y. Heading into its Big Ten debut at Mary- land on March 25, Penn State was 5-2 and checked in at No. 10 in the Inside Lacrosse poll. Not a bad start for a team that had failed to receive a single vote in the pre- season rankings. Tambroni cited veteran leadership as one of the key components to the team's success in the nonconference season. At- tackmen TJ Malone and Jack Traynor and defenseman Brett Funk were freshmen when Penn State reached the Final Four in 2019. This year, they're graduate stu- dents. Through seven games, Malone and Traynor were first and second on the team in points with 31 and 23, respectively. Senior defenseman Jack Posey arrived in 2020 and has been a frequent starter the past two seasons, while a pair of trans- fer attackmen — seniors Kevin Winkoff of Binghamton and Chris Jordan of St. Lawrence — have boosted PSU's offense. Through seven games, they were among the team's top five point-producers. In addition, the Lions have gotten a big lift from a couple of sophomores. Matt Traynor, Jack's younger brother, was tied with him for second on the team with 23 points, while goaltender Jack Fracyon had compiled a goals- against average of 10.50 and a .556 save percentage. Fracyon, an Annapolis, Md., native who made two starts as a freshman last year, was named Lacrosse Magazine's Division I Player of the Week after making 16 saves against Cornell. Those players have helped Penn State rebound from last year's 3-11 finish, which included five heartbreaking one- goal losses. The Lions were weakened by injuries to several key players last spring. Matt Traynor played in just two games, while his brother Jack played in six. Malone missed the entire season. Now, those players are back in action, and they've helped change Penn State's chemistry. Tambroni said he could see their impact in the latter stages of the game against Penn. The Nittany Lions OLYMPIC SPORTS Now in his 13th season at Penn State, coach Jeff Tambroni is looking to guide the Nittany Lions back to the top of the Big Ten after finishing 1-4 in conference play last year. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS Rally Scoring A potent offense has helped the resurgent Penn State men's lacrosse team return to title contention M AT T H E R B | M A T T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M