April 22, 2018
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The No. 12 Penn State men's lacrosse team fell, 11-8, to No. 10 Rutgers in a Big Ten showdown in High Point Solutions Stadium on the RU campus on Sunday evening.
Penn State looked to be on point early, as junior Kevin Hill was the first on the board in the game, just a minute-twenty into the contest, and just minutes later, senior Tanner Peck would give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 advantage. However, the hosts had a different game plan in mind and would close out the first half on a 7-1 run, including holding Penn State scoreless in the second quarter.
In the second half, Penn State again would be the first on the board as Brian Townsend maneuvered his way through the defenders. However, RU was able to respond and keep the Nittany Lions at bay.
Late in the third quarter, Penn State turned to freshman Jake Glatz at the face, and the rookie did not disappoint, winning the face, and charging straight for the cage. His shot rebounded off the RU goalie, into the stick of Dylan Foulds, who found Mac O'Keefe as time expired, giving Penn State life.
Glatz would go on to win all five of the fourth quarter face-offs and looked to spark the Penn State offense.
Penn State was able to bring the game within one goal, with 12:30 left to play, but the RU defense was able to fend off the Nittany Lion attack and was able to seal the game on an open-net goal and take the game.
The Nittany Lions saw sophomores Mac O'Keefe and Dylan Foulds each record three points in the loss, O'Keefee netting three goals, while Foulds scored a goal and dished out two assists.
O'Keefe finished the game with a game-high six ground balls, and added a caused turnover, while Foulds added two ground balls.
Penn State also saw Kevin Hill find the back of the cage twice, while freshman Brian Townsend and senior Tanner Peck also added goals. Senior Ryan Keenan dished out two assists out of the midfield, while junior Matt Donnelly added one.
The Nittany Lions saw Michael Aronow cause a career-high three turnovers while adding five ground balls. On the backline, sophomore Colby Kneese recorded nine saves.
At the face-off 'x,' sophomore Gerard Arceri continued to battle through, going 8-13, while freshman Jake Glatz had a breakout performance when called upon down the stretch, going a perfect 7-7, adding two ground balls.
Penn State returns home on Saturday, April 28 for an 11 a.m. contest to wrap up the Big Ten regular season with a Senior Day game against Michigan at Panzer Stadium.