COLUMBUS, OHIO – The No. 10 Penn State women's lacrosse team dropped an 11-9 decision at Ohio State on Sunday afternoon in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes started the second half on a 5-0 run and held on for the victory. Penn State is now 3-5 this season, while Ohio State improved to 3-7.
Junior Sophia Triandafils led the Nittany Lions with two goals and an assist. Olivia Dirks, Mary Muldoon and Kristin O'Neill each tallied two goals. Quinn Nicolai added a goal, while Kara Nealon recorded two assists and Maria Auth and Lauren Craft each had one assist. Taylor Suplee made 10 saves in goal.
Ohio State was led by Lindsay Epstein's two goals and two assists. Ashley Turner contributed two goals and an assist, while Sophie Baez and Nicole Ferrara each had two goals. Jillian Rizzo made 10 saves to earn the win.
The Buckeyes got on the board first on a score by Turner. However, the Nittany Lions answered with a 3-0 run. Triandafils got Penn State on the board at the 24:10 mark. Less than two minutes later, Nicolai sent one to the back of the net, off an assist by Lauren Craft, to convert on a fastbreak chance. Dirks finished in the top corner of the net, off a feed from Auth, to give PSU a 3-1 advantage with 11:07 to go in the half.
Ohio State closed its deficit to one on a tally by Clare Johnston and tied the game on a goal by Ali Beekhuizen to even the game at 3-3 with seven minutes remaining in the period.
Triandafils found the net for her second of the game, finding space in the middle and finishing off a feed from Nealon. Penn State extended its lead on a goal by O'Neill, who rose above the traffic in the middle to snipe one. Penn State led 5-3 with 3:17 to go in the half. The Buckeyes scored on a goal by Epstein to close the gap to 5-4 going into the break.
The Buckeyes started the second half on a 5-0 run, sparked by Liza Hernandez. Ohio State added goals by Epstein, Turner, Ferrara and Baez. The Buckeyes led 9-5 with 16:18 left in the game.
The OSU run was stopped on a goal by Muldoon with 12:32 to go. Muldoon cut into the middle and finished off a feed from Triandafils. The Nittany Lions added another goal by O'Neill, off a free-position opportunity, and another by Dirks to take advantage of a man-up situation. Penn State cut the deficit to 9-8 with 7:10 remaining.
Ohio State stopped the PSU run on a goal by Ferrara with 6:07 left in the game. Penn State answered with a goal by Muldoon, off an assist by Nealon. However, OSU responded again with a goal by Baez to hold an 11-9 lead with 3:48 remaining.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Wednesday, April 7 to visit Johns Hopkins. First draw is scheduled for 4 p.m. with a broadcast on ESPNU.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
