Penn State lacrosse faces tough conference opener against Maryland

For Penn State 's lacrosse team, the start of the season has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride. With big wins over tough Ivy League opponents like Cornell and Princeton, the team showed their elite potential. However, losses to Villanova and Navy have shown that they can struggle against inferior teams.

Now, they face a tough conference opening test against a team that has historically had their number. While Maryland has also gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, with a 3-3 record, it is important to note that context matters when both these teams play. In one of lacrosse's longest, most storied rivalries, Maryland holds a 47-4 mark over the Nittany Lions , including an important win last year for the Terps on their path to the title game.

This year's matchup could come down to physicality as Maryland will look to dominate the faceoff battle with Henry Dodge, who wins them at at . 705% clip. In Yale transfer Leo Johnson, they have an elite goalscorer who will challenge a young Penn State squad.

Freshman Hunter Aquino has been out for the past two games with no signs that he will return for this matchup. That puts a lot of pressure on other young guys such as Andrew Beard and Jack Iannantuono to perform yet again. The game will take place tomorrow, March 21st at 3 PM at Panzer Stadium for the White Out.