March 8, 2011
BALTIMORE - The Penn State women's lacrosse team held a three-goal lead heading into halftime of its Tuesday night road match-up with No. 6 Loyola (3-0) but could not maintain it in the second half and fell to the Greyhounds, 10-7.
Senior midfielder Laura Lesnick (Jarrettsville, Md.) scored a game-high four goals to lead Penn State (1-4), giving her a team best 10 for the season. Senior attacker Mary Dean (Wyncote, Pa.) also netted multiple goals, scoring two. Freshmen Lizzy Carney (West Chester, Pa.) and Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) each notched assists.
In the first half, Penn State put together a masterful defensive performance, limiting Loyola to just one goal, a Grace Gavin score at the 20:18 mark. The Nittany Lion offense was equally effective, as two goals each by Lesnick and Dean over the span of 14 minutes helped PSU build a 4-1 advantage. A scoreless final 14:45 of the first half allowed the Penn State lead to hold as the teams headed to the break.
Early on in the second half, Lesnick scored her third goal of the game to extend the Lion lead to 5-1. However, a flurry of Loyola six unanswered goals over a stretch of five plus minutes put the Greyhounds on top for the first time in the game by a count of 7-5.
Penn State responded to the run by scoring the next two goals to knot the game at 7-7 with less than 16 minutes remaining. Senior attacker Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.) and Lesnick accounted for the Lions' scores.
Loyola, though, would finish the game with a 3-0 burst to punctuate the rally and end Penn State's bid for the upset.
The Nittany Lions will open a four game home stand this weekend when they host Delaware (2-2) on Saturday. Game time is set for 12 p.m. Penn State, which owns a 23-6 record in the series, topped the Blue Hens last season, 12-8, in Newark.
Follow Penn State women's lacrosse on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatewomenslacrosse.