A week after an impressive home victory against then-No. 13 Loyola (Md.), the Notre Dame men's lacrosse team will travel to Happy Valley, Penn., to take on Penn State this Sunday at 1 p.m. The Irish will try to start strong on the road after finishing 4-5 away from home last year.Notre Dame (1-0) used last week to prepare for the Nittany Lions. Usually, the Irish face Penn State in the season opener, but the matchup is their second game this year."This will be another hard fought game," Irish coach Kevin Corrigan said. "The games against them have been rarely decided by more then a few goals."Penn State (0-1) started its season with a 10-5 loss to Denver last weekend. The Lions led 5-3 at halftime but were outscored 7-0 in the second half. Still, Penn State freshman sensation Chris Hogan made an immediate impact by netting a team-high two goals.Along with Hogan, senior captains Pat Heim, Dan Saltsman and Matt Mulqueen will be important factors for the Nittany Lions. Penn State received five votes in the latest Inside Men's Lacrosse Magazine Division I Poll, meaning that they have remained in the top 25 teams. Last week, they were placed at 17."Penn State will be hungry to win this one after losing to Denver," Irish junior goalie Joey Kemp said. "We have to travel, and this game should not be taken lightly."For senior attacker Brian Hubschmann, the game is "a big rivalry."Penn State senior attacker Brian Boyle transferred as a freshman from Notre Dame, but Hubschmann said he and Boyle have remained friends."[Our relationship] has added more to the rivalry," Hubschmann said. "It's not bad blood, but he used to go [to Notre Dame.] That makes me want to win even more."
Notesu Joey Kemp was named Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) Player of the Week for Feb. 12-18. He played a key part in the victory over Loyola (Md.) by making nine saves and holding the Greyhounds scoreless in the last quarter and a half of the game.
