PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Mac O'Keefe scored following an outstanding hustle play by Jack Kelly with 2:48 remaining in overtime to give No. 2 Penn State an 18-17 win over No. 6 Penn in a back-and-forth non-conference men's lacrosse game Saturday at historic Franklin Field.
Penn State, which was playing a top-10 opponent for the second-straight game, improved to 4-1, while Penn dropped to 1-2. The Quakers two losses came by a combined three goals to teams ranked in the top-10 at the time of the games.
Gerard Arceri won the opening faceoff in overtime to give the Nittany Lions the first shot at the game-winning goal. A shot by Kelly was saved by Penn's Patrick Burkinshaw but the goalie's clearing pass went into the open field. Kelly sprinted back following his shot to pick up the ground ball despite being pulled down from behind and then found O'Keefe who finished from 10 yards out.
The overtime snipe was O'Keefe's fourth goal of the game, giving him 186 for his career. He passed Johns Hopkins' Terry Riordan (1992-95) for the Big Ten career record with his third goal of the contest.
The game featured four lead changes and seven ties. Penn State led 17-15 following Jack Traynor's fourth goal of the game with 2:20 left in regulation, but the Quakers scored a pair of man-up goals in the final minute to send the game into overtime.
It was a game of runs early. Penn State took a quick 2-0 lead just 1:11 into the contest with goals by Jack Kelly and Traynor. Penn responded with four-straight goals, but the Lions countered with five-straight goals of their own. Cole Willard started the run with his first goal of the season, while O'Keefe and Traynor added goals in the quarter. Traynor and Grant Ament each found the back of the net to open the second quarter to give the Lions a three-goal lead. That would be their largest lead for the remainder of the game.
Kelly's goal, which tied the game at 4-4, was one for the highlight reel. He picked up his own rebound in front of the goal and put in a no-look, between-the-legs shot.
Penn's last lead came when Sean Lulley scored with seven seconds left in the third quarter to put the Quakers up 11-10. It didn't last long as Penn State scored three goals to start the fourth quarter.
Colby Kneese, who made 18 saves, had a big play to help tie the game at 11-all early in the fourth. He made a save and immediately found a sprinting Nick Cardile. The defenseman took it all the way for his second goal of the season. TJ Malone followed with two goals in a span of 39 seconds to put the Lions up 13-11 with 11:22 remaining in regulation. They wouldn't trail the rest of the way.
Eight Penn State players scored in the win, including four goals apiece by O'Keefe and Traynor. Ament, Kelly, Malone and Dylan Foulds all scored twice, while Cardile and Willard finished with one goal each.
Up next for the Lions is a neutral-site game against yet another top-10 opponent. They will take on No. 9 Cornell at the Crown Lacrosse Classic in Charlotte on Sunday, March 8, at 4 p.m.
