NEW HAVEN, Conn.- Seven different goal scorers and career high days from sophomore Kyle Lehman and freshman Hunter Aquino paced the Penn State men’s lacrosse offense enroute to 15-9 victory over Yale on the road. The Nittany Lions improve to 4-1 overall while the Bulldogs fall to 0-3 this season. Along with the balanced offensive attack for PSU was an impactful defensive performance from Jack Fracyon between the pipes, totaling 18 saves on the day.
Lehman led the Nittany Lions on offense with five goals, notching a hat-trick in the first quarter. Aquino’s two goals along with five assists also helped guide the Nittany Lions attack. Jack Aimone notched his second-straight game with a hat-trick, finding the back of the net three times and dishing out one assist to total four points. Ryan Dirocco was the final Nittany Lion multi-goal-scorer, posting two goals and two assists to compile four points. Liam Matthews, Colby Baldwin and Will Peden added a goal apiece to round out the scoring for PSU. As a team, Penn State’s faceoff unit outworked Yale’s, winning 18-of-27 faceoffs. Colby Baldwin led the group with 17 of those wins while scooping 10 ground balls.
FIRST QUARTER - 7-3 PSU
- Penn State raced out to an early 3-0 lead before Yale could get one on the board using goals from Lehman, Peden and Aquino with a man-up point.
- After Yale put one across, PSU went on a 3-0 run, with goals coming from Aimone with two and Lehman with his second of the day.
- Lehman led the Nittany Lion offense in the first quarter with three goals, already sealing a hat trick.
- Hunter Aquino was instrumental in the big advantage after the first 15 minutes, dishing out three assists throughout the stanza.
SECOND QUARTER – 11-4 PSU
- Neither team scored for the first five minutes of the period until Aimone picked up his third goal of the day.
- The Nittany Lions outscored Yale 4-1 in the second quarter.
- The trio of Aquino, Aimone and Lehman led the offense with one goal each while Dirocco added his first of the day.
- Between the pipes, Fracyon totaled eight saves through the first 30 minutes of action.
THIRD QUARTER – 13-6 PSU
- Defense was key for both squads in the third period, both teams only adding a combined four goals with two apiece.
- Lehman was the first to strike, with a laser off a pass from Luke Scarpello.
- Baldwin notched his second goal of the season with a shot off the faceoff win.
- Yale held PSU scoreless for the final 10 minutes of the quarter while adding two of its own goals.
FOURTH QUARTER – 15-9 PSU
- Yale held a strong defensive front in the front half of the final stanza, holding the Nittany Lions from putting any more goals across and adding two of its own.
- Matthews broke Penn State’s silence with just under eight minutes to play, putting up PSU's 14th goal and his first of the day off a feed from Dirocco.
- Dirocco found the back of the net for the second time throughout the contest, just 10 seconds following a goal from the Bulldogs, to seal the Penn State victory at 15-9.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Penn State improves to 2-0 on the road and 5-4 in the all-time series with Yale, winning the most recent four matchups with the Bulldogs.
- Lehman notched a career high five goals on seven shot attempts.
- Aquino compiled a career high seven points on two goals and five assists. He led the Nittany Lions in assists and points against the Bulldogs.
- Aimone recorded his second consecutive hat-trick with three goals and one assist to total four points.
- Fracyon was resilient between the pipes, totaling 18 saves with a 66.7 save percentage.
- Baldwin went 17-for-26 at the faceoff circle, while also adding his second goal of the season and third assist of the campaign.
- Dirocco matched his career best two goals, and recorded a personal best four points with two assists as well.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions travel to the third-ranked Cornell Big Red next Saturday, March 8. Game time is slated for noon on Schoellkopf Field.