April 8, 2018
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Penn State men's lacrosse team fell to No. 2 Maryland, 13-12, in a Big Ten battle on Sunday evening in Panzer Stadium.
With the game even at nine heading into the fourth, it was the Nittany Lions who would strike first as sophomore Mac O'Keefe would find the back of the cage in an extra-man opportunity to take a 10-9 advantage with 14:32 left to play.
However, the Terrapins would score three straight goals, to take a 12-10 advantage, and from there Penn State would play catch-up for the final 5:56 of the game.
With just 18 seconds left to play in the game, junior Nick Spillane would bully his way through the defenders, to make it 13-12, but on the ensuing face, the visitors gain possession and would run out the clock.
The entire game featured back-and-forth action as the first quarter ended in a 3-3 draw, and the Nittany Lions carried a 5-4 lead into the break. After the third, the Terps were about to take a 9-8 lead heading into the fourth, but a rebound ground ball picked up by Robby Black in front of the crease, turned into a Robby Black goal as the junior middie was able to juke out the Terrapins goalie to tie it at 9-all.
Penn State saw four players finished the game with four points as O'Keefe led Penn State with four goals on the evening. Redshirt sophomore Dylan Foulds also added four points, as he sunk three into the back of the net, and added an assist. Junior Nick Spillane added two goals and two assists, while senior Ryan Keenan found the back of the net once, and added three assists.
The Nittany Lions also got goals from Robby Black and Kevin Hill, and freshman defender Brayden Peck recorded his first career assist, finding Foulds on a successful clear.
Penn State went 19-28 on the face, with sophomore Gerard Arceri going 19-26. He also added eight ground balls. In the net, sophomore Colby Kneese made nine saves and added one ground ball.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Saturday, April 14 at 2 p.m. as they host Johns Hopkins for Alumni Weekend, and the game will be aired on ESPNU.