Junior Brian Boyle had two assists in Penn State's season opener at Notre Dame last Sunday. Boyle and the rest of the Nittany Lions trek to Loyola this Saturday for a 1 p.m. ECAC contest.

Game Notes

THIS WEEK
No. 14 Penn State (0-1, 0-0 ECAC) visits Loyola (0-1, 0-0 ECAC) in an early season ECAC Lacrosse League tilt. Action in Maryland is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.

UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions have two games next week. Penn State faces Dartmouth at St. Pual's School in Baltimore on Wed., March 8 at noon. Penn State then heads right to Ohio State for a 12 p.m. game with the Buckeyes on Sat., March 11.

ON THE AIR
None

TODAY'S MATCH-UPS
The Penn State Nittany Lion lacrosse team, ranked No. 14 in the latest Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, heads to Loyola, Md., for a battle with the Greyhounds. Action between the two ECAC Lacrosse League Foes is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.

Penn State enters the game with an 0-1 mark after its hard-fought 8-4 loss at No. 12 Notre Dame in its season opener last Sunday. Nate Whitaker scored three of Penn State's four goals in the game, which was tied 3-3 heading into the final period. Freshman keeper Drew Adams had an outstanding collegiate debut, collecting 16 saves in the contest.

Penn State is being led by Whitaker and senior classmate Greg Gurenlian, who had Penn State's other goal, four ground balls and won six of 16 face-offs.

Loyola, receiving votes in the 2/21 Inside Lacrosse media poll, dropped a tough 11-10 decision at No. 11 Towson on Saturday. The Greyhounds nearly came back from a 9-6 fourth period deficit to grab the win. Middie Oliver Bacon led LC with three goals and an assist in the game while attackman Phil Grillo added three goals.

After this weekend's game at Loyola, Penn State will return to action next week with two more road games. The Nittany Lions will battle Dartmouth at St. Paul's School in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday, March 8, at noon. The Lions will also trek to Ohio State for a noon game on Saturday, March 11.

PENN STATE RANKED NO. 16 IN LATEST INSIDE LACROSSE MEDIA POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team, under the guidance of head coach Glenn Thiel, is ranked No. 16 in the latest Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Nittany Lions fell two spots after a tough 8-4 season opening loss at No. 12 Notre Dame. Duke heads the poll in the No. 1 spot with 19 of the 21 first place votes. Maryland is No. 2, Virginia is No. 3 and Johns Hopkins is No. 4 with the other two first place votes. Syracuse rounds out the top five. The Nittany Lions are one of four ECAC Lacrosse League teams in the top 20. Massachusetts is No. 9, Georgetown is No. 10, Penn State is No. 16 and Fairfield is No. 20. Three other league teams are receiving votes, including Rutgers, Loyola and Hobart. In all seven of the conference's eight teams are either ranked or receiving votes.

LIONS GO 2-0-1 IN EXHIBITIONS
The Nittany Lion lacrosse team opened up the 2006 exhibition season in fine fashion by going 1-0-1 in exhibitions on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Holuba Hall. Penn State tied No. 1 and defending national champion Johns Hopkins 9-9 thanks to five points from Brian Boyle (1 goal, four assists) and three goals from Matt Radecic. The Lions beat a young Robert Morris team 13-6 behind two-goal games from Chris Mulqueen, Bubba Scott, Kevin Hershner and Mike Toner. Penn State then downed Lehigh 15-6, thanks to four goals from John Eremus and six points (three goals, three assists) from freshman Rob Forster.

BENJAMIN, GURENLIAN AND WHITAKER NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS
Three talented seniors have been named co-captains of the Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team as announced by veteran head coach Glenn Thiel. Keith Benjamin (Short Hills, N.J.), Greg Gurenlian (Springfield, Pa.) and Nate Whitaker (Great Falls, VA.) will assume captain's duties for the upcoming campaign.

Benjamin, a defender, is a three-year letterman and started all 15 games for Penn State last year. He notched 25 ground balls, which was fifth on the team. " Keith is our team's defensive organizer on the field," Thiel said. "He is well respected by his teammates and will be a good leader for the young defenders in our freshman class."

Gurenlian, middle/face-off middie, was voted team Most Valuable Player last season after leading the team in ground balls with 111 and scoring 12 points off five goals and seven assists. Gurenlian led Penn State in face-off percentage at (.636) and was second on the team in shot percentage (.500). "Greg is very intense, motivational and physically demanding," Thiel said. "He will be an outstanding captain and leader for this squad. We expect his roll to be expanded on the field as well, with offensive midfield runs added to his already outstanding contributions during face-off play."

Whitaker, attackman, was a second team All-ECAC pick last season and was once again Penn State's leading scorer in 2005 with 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists. Both goal and assist totals were team bests and his three game-winning goals was tops on the team as well. "We look for our attack unit of Nate, John Eremus, Max VanArsdale and Brian Boyle to really feed off Nate's ability to finish for us," Thiel said.

THREE NITTANY LIONS EARN PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Three Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse players have been named to the 2006 Inside Lacrosse/Face-Off Pre-Season All-America team. Senior Greg Gurenlian (Springfield, Pa.), senior Nate Whitaker (Great Falls, Va.) and junior Pat Heim (Wayne, Pa.) were all listed by the publication.

Gurenlian was named a third-team pre-season All-American as one the face-off specialist. A captain on this year's team, Gurenlian had a .636 face-off percentage last year, winning 194 of 305 attempts. He notched 12 points on five goals and seven assists as well. He also led Penn State with 111 ground balls. Whitaker was named to the Honorable Mention squad on attack. The senior captain was Penn State's leading scorer in 2005 with 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists. Whitaker collected 17 ground balls as well. Heim, a junior, was also on the Honorable Mention squad as midfielder. Heim scored 33 points during his sophomore campaign, scoring 22 goals and dishing off 11 assists. He also nabbed 24 ground balls.

SOPHOMORE MAX VANARSDALE OUT FOR YEAR
Returning starter Max VanArsdale will miss the 2006 season after undergoing ankle surgery. The stand-out attackman will red-shirt this year and carry sophomore eligibility into the 2007 campaign.

NITTANY LIONS LAND IN TOP THREE OF ECAC LACROSSE LEAGUE PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
The Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team, under the guidance of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, has grabbed a spot in the top three of the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse League Preseason Coaches Poll. Penn State placed just behind preseason favorite Georgetown and Massachusetts.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a 9-6 season that saw them win a share of the league crown with a 5-1 mark. Penn State also earned its second trip to the NCAA Tournament in three years. Thiel's squad returns seven starters and 24 lettermen from a season ago and is coming off a solid 2-0-1 exhibition slate.

Georgetown has been picked first by the league coaches for seven straight years and has won the title five times during that span. Massachusetts and Penn State shared the league crown last season with identical 5-1 records. Rounding out the league poll is Loyola (4), Fairfield (5), Hobart (6), Rutgers (7) and St. John's (8).

WHITAKER AND HEIM NAMED TO ECAC LACROSSE PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Penn State Nittany Lion men's lacrosse players Nate Whitaker and Pat Heim have been named to the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse Preseason All-League team. The duo received two of the nine slots on the squad, which is voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Whitaker, a senior co-captain, is one of four attackmen on the team. He returns as Penn State's leading scorer from last season, netting 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists (both team highs as well). Whitaker is also carrying a 42-game scoring streak, which began the first game of his freshman year.

Heim, a junior, was a 2005 All-ECAC Lacrosse first team pick last year after scoring 33 points off 22 goals and 11 assists. He and Whitaker are both Inside Lacrosse honorable mention preseason All-Americans this year as well. Massachusetts senior Sean Morris was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Jack Reid, also of Massachusetts, was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Penn State opens up its regular season this coming Sunday with a 1 p.m. game at Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions, under the guidance of veteran head coach Glenn Thiel, are coming off a 9-6 season that saw them win a share of the ECAC Lacrosse title with a 5-1 league record and earn their second trip to the NCAA Championship Tournament in the last three years.

WHITAKER'S SCORING STREAK STILL ALIVE
Senior attackman Nate Whitaker had three goals vs. Notre Dame on 2/26, pushing his current scoring streak to 43 games. Whitaker has scored in every game he has played in at Penn State. He now had 109 points off 76 goals and 36 assists.

WHITAKER AND HEIM NAMED TO ECAC PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
Nate Whitaker and Pat Heim have been named to the 2006 ECAC Lacrosse Preseason All-League team. The duo received two of the nine slots on the squad, which is voted on by the league's eight head coaches. Whitaker, a senior co-captain, is one of four attackmen on the team. He returns as Penn State's leading scorer from last season, netting 44 points off 31 goals and 13 assists (both team highs as well). Whitaker is also carrying a 42-game scoring streak, which began the first game of his freshman year. Heim, a junior, was a 2005 All-ECAC Lacrosse first team pick last year after scoring 33 points off 22 goals and 11 assists. He and Whitaker are both Inside Lacrosse honorable mention preseason All-Americans this year as well.