STATE COLLEGE, Pa., February 20, 2003 - The men's lacrosse team will open their season this Sunday, February 23 at Holuba Hall when they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 1:00 p.m. The Lions are currently ranked No. 16 in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Poll while the Irish hold the 17th spot.
This will be the tenth meeting between the two teams. Notre Dame has the lead in the all-time series 5-4. Last year the Lions defeated the Irish in overtime 10-9 on a goal from sophomore Will Jones (DeMatha/Annapolis, Md).
The Nittany Lions have hosted three scrimmages in preparation for the season. On February 8th, Penn State defeated both Gettysburg and Pennsylvania and on February 15th the Lions defeated Mount St. Mary's 25-10 in a five period scrimmage.
Penn State is ranked No.16 in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason poll with 413 votes. The Irish are right behind the Nittany Lions holding the 17th spot with 401 votes. Eleven of the 13 teams the Lions play earned spots in the Top 25. In a vote by ECAC coaches the Lions were picked to finish third in the ECAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Last year Penn State finished 8-5 (1-4 ECAC).
The Lions gained more preseason attention after Rob Bateman (Hereford/Parkton, Md.) and Matt Zappia (Canandaigua Academy, Canandaigua, N.Y.) were selected as third team preseason All-Americans. Senior captain Chris Garrity (St. Mary's/Annapolis, Md.) earned an honorable mention All-American spot as goalkeeper.
