COLLEGE PARK, Md.- No. 7 Penn State men’s lacrosse falls to no. 2 Maryland by a 13-8 final score on the road. In their second consecutive top 10 match up and third of the season, the Nittany Lions battled back from an early deficit but were not able to top the Terps. Penn State moves to 6-3, 0-2 Big Ten while Maryland improves to 8-1, 1-1 Big Ten.
There were three multiple goal scorers for PSU. Matt Traynor led the charge with two goals and an assist to total three points. Kyle Lehman and Hunter Aquino also added two goals each. Jack Aimone and Luke Walstrum were responsible for the other two points. Colby Baldwin was dominant at the faceoff x, winning 15-of-22 attempts. Defensively, Ryan O’Connor was effective in loose ball situations, collecting four ground balls to match his personal best. Between the pipes, Jack Fracyon made six saves while adding a caused turnover and ground ball.
FIRST QUARTER - 4-2 Maryland
- Penn State began the scoring after Fracyon made his first stop of the day between the pipes on Maryland’s first offensive possession. Traynor found Aquino to tally the first goal of the day.
- The Terps responded with four-straight goals to take a 4-1 lead.
- Walstrum created an opportunity on his own from the x, curling around the crease to add another for PSU.
SECOND QUARTER – 7-2 Maryland
- UMD added four consecutive goals while holding PSU scoreless throughout the quarter.
- Fracyon totaled five saves at the end of the first half.
THIRD QUARTER – 11-5 Maryland
- Maryland began the scoring, adding its eighth goal of the afternoon.
- The Nittany Lions put up back-to-back goals for the first time in the contest. Aimone found the back of the net, going downhill from the center off a screen. Traynor also found an unassisted goal to cut the deficit to 8-4.
- The Terps engaged in a 3-0 run to go up 11-4 into the final minute of the quarter.
- Lehman notched a buzzer-beating goal to end the third quarter off an assist from Aimone.
FOURTH QUARTER – 13-8 Maryland
- PSU got the scoring started in the final stanza. Traynor shot a laser past the UMD goalie off a feed from Ethan Long.
- Maryland found its 12th goal of the afternoon in transition to push to a 12-6 advantage.
- Aquino added his second goal of the day after Long found him in front of the net to cut the deficit to five.
- Maryland pushed out to a six-goal edge, but PSU responded with a final goal, a shot from Lehman off a pass from Will Peden. Neither team scored for the final three minutes of playing, making the final score 13-8 in favor of the Terps.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Penn State had three multiple goal scorers in Traynor, Aquino and Lehman with two apiece. Traynor also added an assist to the lead the Nittany Lions with three points.
- Baldwin won 15-of-22 faceoffs, his fifth game with 15-or-more wins at the faceoff x.
- Ryan O’Connor matched his career best four ground balls with a new best mark against Big Ten teams.
- Defensively along with O’Connor, Kyle Aldridge posted two caused turnovers and two ground balls while Will Costin scooped three ground balls.
- PSU outshot UMD 32-26.
- The Nittany Lions cleared successfully on 17-of-18 attempts while Maryland only cleared 17-of-21.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. next Saturday, April 5 for another ranked matchup. The game will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network with a start time slated for noon.