EVANSTON, Ill. – The No. 7/5 Penn State women's lacrosse team fell 24-13 at No. 3 Northwestern on Thursday in Ryan Fieldhouse. The Nittany Lions cut their deficit to one, 11-10, early in the second half but the Wildcats created separation with a 7-1 run. Penn State dropped to 2-1 on the season, while the Wildcats improved to 4-0.
Fifth-year senior Maria Auth led the Nittany Lions with four goals and an assist, her 13th career game with at least five points. Three of Auth's four goals came in the second half. With four goals on the day, Auth now has 136 in her Penn State career to move into a tie for 13th all-time at Penn State with Beth Thompson (1983-86) and Jen Johnson (1996-99).
Freshman Kara Nealon collected a career-best three goals and an assist. Lauren Craft contributed two goals and an assist, while Kristin O'Neill tallied two goals. Kayla Abernathy scored her first career goal and Brooke Barger added a score. Olivia Dirks had an assist and won 10 draw controls. Taylor Suplee made seven saves in nearly 47 minutes of action.
Northwestern was paced by Lauren Gilbert's eight points, including seven goals, and Izzy Scane's five goals and two assists. Sammy Mueller had four goals, while Erin Coykendall added three goals and four assists. Madison Doucette made 11 saves in net.
The Wildcats began the game on a 4-0 run, sparked by Mueller. Scane added two goals and Gilbert scored one.
Kristin O'Neill stopped Northwestern's run with a goal at the 21:53 mark but was answered on a goal by Coykendall. However, Barger found open space in the middle of the defense and finished off a feed by Craft to cut the deficit to 5-2 with 20:42 remaining in the half.
Northwestern scored the next two goals, by Gilbert and Elle Hansen.
However, Penn State responded with a 3-0 run, started by a snipe by Auth off a dish from Nealon. The Nittany Lions got two more tallies on back-to-back goals by Nealon, the first off an assist by Rachel Rosen. Penn State trailed 7-5 with 9:58 left in the half.
Northwestern answered with their own 3-0 run. Gilbert recorded a pair of goals during the stretch and Coykendall added another. Abernathy stopped NU's run with a goal on a low backhanded flip, off an assist by Auth.
After a goal by the Wildcats' Scane, Penn State finished the half on a 3-0 run. Craft found the net on back-to-back goals. The first one came on a free-position attempt while the second took advantage of a man-up opportunity. A tally by O'Neill, also in a man-up situation, closed out the half with Penn State trailing 11-9.
The Nittany Lions carried their momentum into the first score of the second half. Auth found the net on a free-position look to cut the deficit to one goal with 28:57 remaining.
Scane ignited a 7-1 run by the Wildcats covering the next 10 minutes. Jill Girardi and Mueller scored to extend NU's lead to 14-10.
Penn State's Nealon answered with a goal off a dish from Dirks to bring PSU within three.
However, two goals by Gilbert and one each by Hansen and Muller expanded Northwestern's lead to 18-11 with 18:14 remaining in the game.
Auth's second of the game stopped that run, but she was answered by Scane. The Wildcats capitalized on the momentum to score the next five goals by five different players.
With 1:57 remaining, Auth recorded her fourth goal of the game, scoring on a free-position opportunity on a man-up situation.
The Nittany Lions will conclude their series against Northwestern on Saturday. First draw is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network+.
Maria Auth tallied five points