When Penn State coach Jeff Tambroni describes this season as unlike anything he’s ever experienced, he’s not just talking about pandemic restrictions.
That’s some of it, of course, but the Nittany Lions (1-2) have dealt with more moving pieces than most teams early in the season.
Starting midfielder Jack Traynor and defenseman Brayden Peck, a multi-year starter, have missed back-to-back games. Midfielder Cole Willard left a Feb. 26 loss to Maryland in the first half with an injury. Dan Reaume, who started the first two games in the midfield, didn’t play in Saturday’s 15-13 defeat of Ohio State.
“It’s been more challenging than we even imagined,” Tambroni said. “I think [going] into the season, you anticipate certain things are going to happen. Everyone deals with an element of whether it’s injury or distractions that are maybe a little unforeseen, but you prepare for things like that the best you can.”
In fairness to Penn State, it’s already faced Big Ten leaders Maryland and Rutgers in the first portion of the Big Ten’s double round robin. And there were hints against Ohio State that the Nittany Lions were getting closer to fully figuring things out last weekend.
TJ Malone, switched from attack to midfield, had five goals and two assists, while Dylan Foulds added four goals. Even while it was still shorthanded, Penn State shot 34.9 percent against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions managed just 21.1 percent in their first two games.