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Charlottesville, Va. • Klöckner Stadium | 13 |
May 9, 2014
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Senior attacker Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) became the 10th Nittany Lion in program history to record 200 career points, but the Penn State women's lacrosse team fell to Princeton, 16-13, in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Virginia's Klöckner Stadium Friday evening. The Nittany Lions finished the 2014 campaign at 10-8.
The senior standout, who finished the game with a goal and two helpers, pushed her four-year assists total to 107, good for third all-time in Nittany Lion history. The Westminster, Maryland, native added 95 career goals for 202 points, the eighth-highest total for a member of the Blue and White.
In addition to Cyr's milestone, junior attacker Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) netted a pair of goals, as well as three assists, to reach the century mark for her career. An Eldersburg, Maryland, native, McCormick recorded a team-high five points (2g, 3a), while a sextet of Nittany Lions - Jenna Mosketti (1g, 1a), Jess Loizeaux (1g, 1a), Kelly Lechner (2g), Madison Cyr (2g), Tatum Coffey (2g), Abby Smucker (1g, 1a) - notched multi-point games.
Penn State, which never trailed in the opening stanza, took an 8-6 halftime advantage before Princeton out-scored the team by a 10-5 margin during the final 30 minutes. All three Penn State goalkeepers saw action, with sophomore Emi Smith (Denver, Colo.) starting the contest before freshman Cat Rainone (Newtown Square, Pa.), who allowed nine goals, began the second half between the pipes. Junior Natalia Angelo (Summit, N.J.) surrendered one goal in less than four minutes of action.
The Nittany Lions, who advanced to the NCAA tournament for the 20th time in program history and third straight season, out-shot Princeton by a 28-22 margin. The Tigers earned advantages in ground balls (13-11), draw controls (17-13) and saves (12-3).
The Nittany Lions utilized McCormick's four-point performance (2g, 2a) to take an 8-6 advantage. Penn State jumped out to a two-goal lead when Lechner and Coffey reached the back of the net within the first 2:29 of the game. Just 40 seconds after the opening whistle, Lechner raced down the right side of the field before beating Princeton starter Annie Woehling.
With 27:31 remaining, Coffey doubled the Nittany Lion advantage. The Toms River, New Jersey, native drew a free-position shot after generating a foul and scored on the ensuing attempt.
The Tigers responded with a pair of strikes just 46 seconds apart to even the score, but Penn State fought back for the 4-2 lead. At 5:49, Loizeaux fed McCormick outside the goal circle, where she sent a low shot past Woehling. The younger Cyr then dodged her defender before scoring with 21:18 left on the clock.
The teams exchanged the next six markers en route to a 7-5 Nittany Lion advantage. After Princeton scored with 19:55 left, Mosketti put Penn State ahead, 5-3. The Fallston, Maryland, native won the draw and fed McCormick to the left of the cage before sending a return pass back to Mosketti for the tally past new Princeton goalkeeper Caroline Franke.
The Tigers answered to cut the Nittany Lion lead to 5-3 with 18:20 remaining before McCormick and Mosketti connected again. Mosketti caused a Princeton turnover before racing down the field and feeding McCormick for her 100th career marker with 9:47 left.
After Princeton cut the Penn State advantage to 6-5, the elder Cyr finished off a feed from McCormick with 4:43 left in the half. Starting near the restraining line, Cyr dodged her defender before sprinting toward the cage and firing a shot for the goal. With 3:38 left, freshman Natalie Schmitt (Malvern, Pa.) scored a free-position goal to make it 8-5 before the Tigers scored with 1:04 left on the clock.
In the second half, Lechner scored off a feed from Cyr just 49 seconds into the stanza before Princeton tallied three quick strikes to tie the game at 9-9. Loizeaux put Penn State ahead with 24:12 left after finishing a pass from Smucker before Princeton answered with two strikes in a 3:50 span to take its first lead at 11-10.
A freshman midfielder, Smucker tied the game at 11 apiece with 18:25 left in the game, but the Tigers finished the game on a 5-2 run. The teams exchanged goals, including Coffey's free-position marker with 15:41 left to tie the game, before Princeton netted four straight goals en route to a 16-12 advantage. Madison Cyr closed out the scoring with 40 seconds left when she finished a play from her sister to account for the three-goal final.