The Penn State men’s lacrosse team entered the 2026 season with high expectations for the year. Following a loss to unranked Villanova, it quickly looked to erase that sour taste in its mouth.

Penn State put together a statement win over No. 3 Princeton with a complete game on both sides of the field. Strong ball movement helped establish control and created quality scoring angles, propelling the Nittany Lions to a 13-7 victory.  

“The guys were motivated by what happened last week,” head coach Jeff Tambroni said. “The emphasis for the week was to just take good shots early on and gain confidence.” 

Princeton defeated Penn State 11-10 in overtime in 2025. Princeton senior goalie Ryan Croddick, who started that game, was a familiar presence in the rematch. This time, the Nittany Lions had Croddick’s number and found more success. Coach Tambroni credited the scoring to a combination of good shot selection and finding advantageous opportunities.  

“We had a good shot selection and got in tight during the early parts of the game,” Tambroni said. “We created good angles and utilized the short distance shots which helped boost our confidence.” 

Penn State jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The fast start was fueled in part by dominance at the faceoff circle. This allowed Penn State to control possessions and the tempo of the game.  

Through the first two games, Penn State’s offense has been in rhythm, but it appeared the team had some major flaws on defense that would need to be quickly corrected. A strong lacrosse defense starts with the goalie. After rotating between two different options, it appears Penn State has found its starter in true freshman Preston Hawkins.  

“He’s had significant growth since he walked on campus as a freshman and even more since the season started. It can be a lot going in there as a freshman. After being taken out of the first game, he has stayed confident and has focused on getting better every day. I’m really impressed with growth and bouncing back,” Tambroni said.

With three games in the books, Hawkins has solidified himself in the lineup. He tallied 11 saves in the Nittany Lions’ win over the Tigers.  

Even though Hawkins has been improving, he is still a true freshman and is part of a roster that lacks experience. In 2025, the Nittany Lions’ top two scorers were Matt Traynor and Ethan Long, both graduated seniors. Despite having a roster that is light on seniors, Tambroni believes leadership is slowly developing.  

“They enjoy playing for each other and it has been fun to watch them grow and they are all adapting into leaders,” Tambroni said. “There are not a ton of seniors, so we are happy to have some good leaders. They are starting to blossom into their roles following in the footsteps of last year’s guys like Matt Traynor.” 

Sophomore Hunter Aquino, junior Kyle Lehman, and freshman Jack Iannantuono have combined for 20 goals and 31 points through three games.  

“You come off a win like Princeton, and you feel good, but our guys are motivated to keep the win streak going and build more confidence,” Tambroni stated. 

The ranked road win has helped provide a confidence boost for Penn State as it prepares to face Navy. In 2025, the teams met at Panzer Stadium, where Penn State earned a 13-7 victory. Although the scoreboard shows a win for the Nittany Lions, coach Tambroni emphasized the game was closer than it seemed and gave credit to the Midshipmen’s physicality.  

“They play so hard and we benefitted from our extra man units,” Tambroni said. “If you take that out of it, we recognize how close that game was. The scoreboard was a little bit misleading. We certainly understand the physicality and emotion that goes into this game, and now it is just a matter of focus.” 

Penn State will look to build on its momentum as the season continues. While the pieces are beginning to come together, Tambroni understands the team still has significant work to do to reach the level it expects to achieve. He emphasized the importance of daily improvement and collective growth as the Nittany Lions aim for another NCAA tournament appearance.