PHILADELPHIA – To be the best, you play the best. Coming off of a season-opening, 15-8 win over St. Bonaventure on Sunday, the Hawks are headed to face one of the top programs in the country as the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad (1-0) will face #2/#1/#1 Penn State (2-0) this Saturday, February 15. Opening face-off is set for noon at Panzer Stadium in University Park, Pa. and will be streamed per subscription on BTN+.

The competition will be at the X, where Saint Joseph's sophomore face-off specialist Zach Cole (88.9%) will go head-to-head with Penn State's Gerard Arceri (75.5%). The Nittany Lions, ranked second in this week's USILA Coaches Poll and first in both the Inside Lacrosse and US Lacrosse Magazine media polls, will be led on the offensive end by 2020 Tewaaraton Award Watch List selections Grant Ament (7g, 11a) and Mac O'Keefe (10g, 4a), against whom Saint Joseph's senior goalkeeper Mike Adler and his defense will look to lock down the back line.

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Joseph's sophomore face-off specialist Zach Cole went 88.0 percent from the X and redshirt freshman attackman Levi Anderson dropped a game-high five points in his collegiate debut to lead the Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse squad (1-0) to a 15-8 victory over St. Bonaventure (0-1) in a game played at the Buffalo Bills ADPRO Training Center on Sunday, February 9.

Cole won a career-high 24 possessions in a career-high 27 opportunities en route to his career-high 88.0-percent showing. The sophomore was a perfect 7-of-7 and 5-of-5 in the second and fourth quarters, respectively, and won 10 in a row spanning the entire second quarter through the opening 1:58 of the third. Cole added a game- and career-high 22 ground balls and a fourth-quarter goal in the win.

Anderson scored a team-high four goals and added a helper to lead 11 Hawks with at least one point. Freshman attackman Mac McLaughlin and freshman midfielder Matt Bohmer scored twice each while the junior trio of attackmen Matt Tufano and Nate Patterson and midfielder Evan Campbell went for one goal and two assists apiece.

Senior goalkeeper Mike Adler (1-0) picked up his 18th career win in net, making six saves as he and his close defense unit of seniors Tyler Makar and Josh Bosher and redshirt freshman Joe Burnham allowed just eight goals for the full 60:00.

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE PLAYER, ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
After leading the Hawks to a 15-8, season-opening win over St. Bonaventure on Sunday afternoon, sophomore face-off specialist Zach Cole has been tabbed the Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday, February 11. Additionally, redshirt freshman attackman Levi Anderson has earned his first Rookie of the Week honor from the league.

Cole was also named to the USILA Team of the Week for his performance from the X vs. the Bonnies.

COMING BACK FROM 2019...
On the offensive end of the field, Saint Joseph's returns 87.8 percent of its goal scoring production from a year ago. Returners with 10 or more goals from last spring include junior attackman Nate Patterson (18g), sophomore attackman Ryan Doran (18g), junior attackman Shane Fable (14g), junior midfielder Austin Strazzulla (11g), junior attackman Matt Tufano (10g), and junior midfielder Evan Campbell (10g).