UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's lacrosse was tied, 1-1, with Drexel after the first 12 minutes of play before the Dragon’s closed the first quarter on a 4-0 run. The visitors never looked back, downing the Nittany Lions 14-9 at Panzer Stadium in a near wire-to-wire victory for the Dragons.
With the result, Penn State dropped to 2-3 on the season while Drexel improved to 3-2.
Junior Erika Ho was a force to be reckoned with in the game, scoring five goals and adding an assist for six points on the day. The points and goal marks were good for career highs for No. 7. The attacker also secured 14 draws for PSU, nearly double Drexel’s eight team wins. Seniors Emma Kelly and Ally Lipkin, along with sophomore Kelly MacKinney and freshman Ellie Wisch, tallied a goal each. Kelly had a major defensive impact as well, causing a career-best four turnovers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Quarter 1 – Penn State 1, Drexel 5
The game opened with more than a seven-minute scoring drought for both sides, before Drexel found the back of the net on a goal at the 7:39 mark. The scoreless stretch continued for PSU until Erika Ho put away her free position shot at 4:23 to tie the game at one.
The Dragons had an answer just over a minute later that sparked a 4-0 run for the away team, ending the first with a 5-1 Drexel advantage.
In the first quarter alone, Drexel killed off three cards, including two yellows, to keep the Nittany Lion attack at bay.
Quarter 2 – Penn State 3, Drexel 8
Emma Kelly scored the opening goal of the second quarter to cut the deficit to three, but a 3-1 run from Drexel to close the quarter ensured the Dragons only grew their halftime lead to five.
Quarter 3 – Penn State 4, Drexel 13
Less than a minute into the second half, Drexel added another goal, moving its lead to 9-3. Erika Ho tabbed an answer at 11:41, but a 4-0 run by the Dragons extended the road team’s lead to nine.
Quarter 4 – Penn State 9, Drexel 14
Drexel tallied a score with 13 minutes left in the game to force a running clock, but Kelly MacKinney got the deficit back to single digits at the 10:45 mark.
MacKinney’s goal was the first in a 5-0 for PSU, including a pair or tallies from Ho with less than five minutes remaining, but the Dragons were able to close out a five-goal win.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- Senior netminder Ashley Bowan made season-high nine stops.
- Ho’s 14 wins at the draw mark the most by a Nittany Lion since Kayla Abernathy posted the same number last season against Jame Madison in the NCAA Tournament.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions stay home this weekend to host Cornell on Saturday, March 1. First draw is set for 1 p.m. at Panzer Stadium.