No. 7 Men’s Lacrosse Advances to the Big Ten Tournament SemifinalsNo. 7 Men’s Lacrosse Advances to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
Steven Walter

No. 7 Men’s Lacrosse Advances to the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals

The Nittany Lions defeat Johns Hopkins 13-12 in the conference tournament quarterfinals

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- No. 7 Penn State men’s lacrosse clinches a spot in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals with a 13-12 win over Johns Hopkins on Saturday, April 26. The Nittany Lions earn their way back to a third Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinal and second consecutive. Penn State improves to 10-3, 3-2 Big Ten while Johns Hopkins falls to 6-8, 0-5 Big Ten. The win at home in Happy Valley marks the 11th, 10-win season in program history and sixth under head coach Jeff Tambroni.

Sophomore Kyle Lehman led the Penn State offense with five points using four goals and one assist. Seniors Matt Traynor, Ethan Long and Jack Aimone all produced two goals apiece, Traynor also added an assist to total three points while scooping five ground balls. Junior Luke Walstrum was instrumental in the passing game, contributing a career high four helpers. On the defensive end, junior Alex Ross and senior Kevin Parnham were disruptive, causing two turnovers and collecting two ground balls each. Sophomore Colby Baldwin led the faceoff unit, winning 14-22 attempts at the faceoff x, with Reid Gills winning two for PSU. Baldwin also gathered eight ground balls.

FIRST QUARTER – 5-4 Penn State

  • The Nittany Lions began the scoring for the ninth time this season, with two-straight goals. Long found the first point on a man-up opportunity off a feed from Walstrum just :36 seconds into the contest.
  • Penn State went coast-to-coast for its next goal with Jack Fracyon making a save on the defensive end and Liam Matthews finding Traynor who shot it behind his back in transition.
  • Hopkins responded with one goal but Lehman went to work on his own to maintain a two-goal edge.
  • JHU found the next goal to creep within one, but Brendan Leary had the quick answer off a feed from Traynor.
  • The Blue Jays tallied two consecutive goals to tie the score at 4-4 but Traynor had the final word of the stanza, with :03 seconds on the clock to grab a one-goal advantage for PSU.

SECOND QUARTER – 7-6 Penn State

  • Hopkins pulled ahead with two unanswered goals over the first five minutes of the second quarter but a 3-0 surge for the Nittany Lions sent the lead back to the home team. Aimone found the back of the net off a helper from Lehman to initiate the scoring run.
  • Lehman once again notched an unassisted goal, outworking his defender to pull ahead again for the second goal in the run, but final goal of the first half.

THIRD QUARTER – 11-7 Penn State

  • Penn State dominated the third period, outscoring the Blue Jays 4-1. PSU continued its run with Matthews finding his goal to finish off the 3-0 scoring stretch and extend to a 8-6 lead.
  • JHU added their only goal of the quarter on the next possession, but the Nittany Lions had the response.
  • Both Lehman and Will Peden found goals on their own to begin another 3-0 surge. Aimone found the back of the net for the second time in the outing with a helper from Walstrum to create a four-goal advantage heading into the final quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER – 13-12 Penn State

  • Johns Hopkins continued to battle throughout the final period, adding five goals in the frame. The teams traded goals for the first nine minutes, before JHU finished the game on a 3-0 scoring run of their own.
  • Lehman and Long added goals in the final stanza to keep Penn State on top.
  • A crucial caused turnover from Kyle Aldridge in the last two minutes of play at a one-goal differential in the score gave the Nittany Lions the final possession. Long drew a penalty, allowing Penn State to maintain possession and run the clock for the remainder of the period.

POSTGAME NOTES

  • Penn State will make its third Big Ten Tournament Semifinal appearance next Thursday and second in a row.
  • This win marked PSU’s 10th win of the season, the 11th 10-win season in program history and sixth under Tambroni.
  • The win also marked PSU’s second win over Hopkins in the conference tournament.
  • Lehman set a new Big Ten best mark in goals with four while achieving a new career high in points with five.
  • Penn State caused 11 turnovers while only committing five themselves and were successful on 14-of-15 clear attempts.
  • The Nittany Lions won the faceoff battle 16-13.

UP NEXT

The Nittany Lions will take on the Maryland Terrapins on Thursday, May 1 in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals. The matchup will take place in Ann Arbor, Mich. with a 7:30 p.m. ET first faceoff.