May 3, 2013
BALTIMORE - Freshman midfielder Jenna Mosketti (Fallston, Md.) capped a 3-0 run with 3:59 remaining in regulation to force overtime, but the No. 8 Penn State women's lacrosse team fell to No. 4 Northwestern, 9-8, at Homewood Field Friday night in the ALC semifinals. The Nittany Lions dropped to 12-6 overall in the first overtime meeting between the schools.
After Northwestern scored its lone second-half goal to take an 8-5 lead with 28:55 remaining, Penn State netted the stanza's final three markers to knot the score. Mosketti started the comeback with 25:57 left when she corralled a pass from sophomore Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.), who added an assist, and beat Northwestern goalkeeper Bridget Bianco.
Classmate Kelly Lechner (Silver Spring, Md.), who netted a team-high three goals, made it 8-7 at 12:31 when she raced past a Wildcat defender before scoring low. Mosketti then tied the game with less than four minutes remaining. From behind the cage, junior attacker Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) fed Mosketti, who cut down the middle of the circle, for the game-tying goal. In the overtime frame, Northwestern's Amanda Macaluso tallied the game-winner to account for the 9-8 final.
Sophomore Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.) and freshman Madison Cyr (Westminster, Md.) also scored for Penn State, while freshman goalkeeper Emi Smith (Denver, Colo.) turned aside seven shots. Both Penn State and Northwestern recorded 20 shots, while the Nittany Lions won 14 ground balls to the Wildcats' 10. Penn State also finished 14-for-17 on clears and 1-for-3 on free-position shots.
The Nittany Lions will learn their NCAA fate Sunday, May 5 when the 26-team tournament field is announced at 9 p.m. on NCAA.com.
Madison Cyr gave the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead 3:41 into the game. From outside the eight-meter circle, senior attacker Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.) found Cyr outside the goal circle, where she fired a shot past Bianco.
Northwestern scored two straight goals before McCormick evened the game at 2-2. With 20:19 left in the stanza, Alyssa Leonard found the back of the net before Taylor Thornton gave the Wildcats a 2-1 advantage. With 12:27 left in the frame, McCormick netted a free-position marker to knot the score.
The Wildcats responded with two quick strikes as they took a 4-2 lead. Thornton scored on a free-position shot at 18:46 before Gabriella Filbotte scored 22 seconds later.
Lechner notched her two first-half tallies in succession as the Nittany Lions tied the game at 4-4. The Silver Spring, Md., native netted her first marker after scoring off a turnover with 7:42 left before she notched her second strike 1:06 later.
Northwestern responded with three straight markers as it took a 7-4 lead. Ali Cassera scored with 5:45 remaining before Erin Fitzgerald and Kat DeRonda added markers at 25:31 and 27:32, respectively. With 51 seconds left in the half, Coffey cut the Northwestern advantage to 7-5 when she executed a hard dodge before scoring low.
In the second half, Macaluso gave the Wildcats an early 8-5 lead with a free-position marker before the Nittany Lions staged their comeback.