LEWISBURG, Pa. – Another Penn State men's lacrosse game went down to the wire, but it didn't go the Nittany Lions way as they dropped a non-conference game to Bucknell, 12-11, Tuesday at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
Penn State dropped to 2-6 overall with the past three losses all coming by just one goal. Bucknell improved to 6-1 on the season.
The Lions made a late comeback attempt after falling behind by four, 12-8, with under 10 minutes to play. Jack Kelly scored a man-up goal with 6:23 left to play to make it a three-goal game. Canyon Birch, who was making his first appearance since a win over Yale on Feb. 26, then scored his first two goals of the season, the second of which brought his team within one with 31 seconds remaining in the game.
Freshman Hudson Bohn won the ensuing faceoff and Penn State called timeout with 19 seconds left on the clock. The Lions' lone shot of the possession went wide with eight seconds remaining.
Jack Kelly recorded a hat trick, while Mac Costin scored twice to join Birch as multiple-goal scorers for Penn State. Jeb Brenfleck and Dan Reaume each tallied three points on one goal and two assists. Jake Morin finished with one goal and one assist. Kyle Aldridge scored one goal, while Brian Townsend and Luke Mercer each contributed an assist.
Bucknell, which entered the game as the ninth-best scoring offense in the country, was led by Alston Tarry with three goals. Connor Davis, who entered as the nation's top scorer at 4.67 goals per game, scored twice.
The Bison made an early goalie change that proved to be pivotal in their win. Penn State fell behind 2-0 before taking a one-goal lead with scores on three consecutive shots. Reaume, Aldridge, and Costin scored the goals in a span of just 54 seconds. Rich O'Halloran took over the goalkeeping duties following the third goal and made 10 saves on 18 chances.
The game was close throughout, starting with a 4-4 tie after one quarter. Bucknell led 8-6 at the half, but Penn State quickly made it a one-score game with a goal by Morin to start the third quarter. The Bison countered with a 3-0 run to take their largest lead of the game at 11-7. The teams traded goals before the Lions made their late comeback attempt.
Bohn won the faceoff battle for the second-straight game, picking up seven ground balls while winning 14 of his 26 faceoffs. Freshman Jack Fracyon was solid in goal, stopping six of the 10 shots he faced in relief.
Turnovers were costly for Penn State. The Lions finished with 25 in the game, 13 of which were caused by the Bison.
Penn State caused 11 of the 17 turnovers committed by Bucknell. Townsend and Pup Buono led the way with two caused turnovers apiece.
Coming in behind Bohn in total ground balls for the Lions were Sam Sweeney and Costin with four apiece. Kevin Parnham finished with three.
Penn State has an 11-day break from competition before it opens Big Ten play with a home game against No. 1 Maryland on Sunday, March 27. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will air on Big Ten Network.
