April 14, 2012
TOWSON, Md. - Senior Matthew Mackrides (Newtown Square) and sophomore Shane Sturgis (Downingtown) scored three goals each as the No. 16 Penn State men's lacrosse team topped Towson, 8-3, at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday evening. The Nittany Lions improved to 7-5 overall (3-1 CAA) with their third straight win, while Towson fell to 7-5 (2-2 CAA).
Mackrides' third straight three-goal game gave him 93 career goals, tying him with former Nittany Lion Bill Hess ('58) for 10th all-time in program history. Sturgis also collected his first hat trick since netting four markers in an 11-6 win over Rutgers in 2011.
Senior attackman Jack Forster (Jenkintown), who matched his career high with his 35th point, extended his goal-scoring streak to eight games, and junior midfielder Drew Roper (Columbus, Ohio) notched his second marker of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Austin Kaut (Morton) recorded 13 saves as Penn State kept Towson scoreless for a 36:46 span that included the entire second half.
Penn State out shot Towson by a 39-28 margin and collected 38 ground balls to the Tigers' 26. The Nittany Lions were 1-for-4 with the extra man and 20-for-23 on clears, while Towson finished 0-for-2 and 18-for-21, respectively.
Towson's Carl Iacona gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with 8:35 left in the first quarter, but the Nittany Lions closed the frame on a 4-0 run. Mackrides tied the game at 1-1 just 2:24 later before Sturgis connected on junior midfielder Nick Dolik's (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) feed with 2:36 left.
Penn State then struck twice in the stanza's final minute. Mackrides added his second tally of the game with 45 seconds remaining, and Roper gave the Nittany Lions a 4-1 advantage with just one second left on the clock.
In the second frame, Towson battled back to make it a one-goal game. Matt Lamon cut the Penn State lead in half with 7:23 remaining before tallying again just 37 seconds later to make it a 4-3 contest.
After being held scoreless in the second quarter, Penn State struck twice in the third to take a 6-3 lead. Following a loose-ball scrum, freshman midfielder Taylor Stothoff (Sparks, Md.) gathered the ground ball and fed Sturgis, who gave Penn State a 5-3 lead with 10:18 left in the frame.
With 2:22 remaining, Penn State extended its lead to 6-3 when Sturgis completed the hat trick for his second career three-goal game. Freshman attackman Pat Manley (Arnold, Md.) collected the assist on the play.
Penn State added two goals in the fourth frame as it took an 8-3 advantage. Mackrides notched his 22nd goal of the season at 2:15, and Forster scored his team-leading 24th marker with 5:35 remaining. Sturgis collected the assist on the man-up goal.
The Nittany Lions, who sit in second place in the CAA with two games remaining, will return home on Saturday, April 21 when they host Delaware at 7 p.m.