UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions (9-1, 1-0 Big Ten) fell to the No. 19 Princeton Tigers (3-3, 1-0 Ivy) on Sunday afternoon at Holuba Hall, 11-14. The loss was Penn State’s first this season.
The Nittany Lion offense was led by Erika Ho, Payton Wainman, Kelly MacKinney and Rocquette Allen who all notched two goals each. Maddie Greco, Delaney Radin and Anna Salerno all contributed a goal a piece. Salerno and MacKinney each had a team-high two assists while the junior captain, MacKinney, had a team-high four points on the afternoon. Senior defender Maggie Driver had three caused turnovers while freshman Susannah O’Connell had a pair of ground balls and pair of caused turnovers each. Captain Julia Basciano and junior Lily Strohecker had three and two ground balls, respectively. In the cage, Sydney Manning secured 12 saves, a season-high.
FIRST QUARTER
Princeton shot out to a three-goal lead off consecutive woman-up goals due to an early yellow card on Penn State. The Nittany Lions were able to strike on a long possession with Allen cashing in an assist by Salerno. Salerno, on her own woman-up opportunity, would score on the eight meter to make it back-to-back goals for Penn State. Despite the shift in momentum, the Tigers posted the next two goals headed into the second frame.
SECOND QUARTER
Princeton scored five straight goals at blistering speed, putting the Nittany Lions in a 10-2 hole midway through the second quarter. Allen notched her second goal of the afternoon off a Greco assist and MacKinney scored on a woman-up opportunity after a turnover caused by Driver. Princeton stopped the Penn State run with a goal of its own and Allen wasn’t able to convert a free-position opportunity at the end of the quarter.
THIRD QUARTER
Penn State began its comeback attempt early in the third quarter. After Allen’s shot was blocked by a defender, Ho came in and netted her first goal of the afternoon and 13th of the season. The Tigers answered back immediately, but the middle stages of the quarter became a defensive battle that saw both teams go scoreless for nearly seven minutes. Radin was the one to stop the drought with an assist by Salerno to start shifting momentum. Wainman would be the next to score with MacKinney passing her open before the junior captain would convert a shot of her own with Allen assisting.
FOURTH QUARTER
The momentum continued to shift in Penn State’s favor early in the fourth. Ho, from the eight meter, scored her second of the game and 14th of the season. Greco joined the Tewaaraton Watch List member with another Penn State free position goal that was interrupted due to a false start. Wainman netted her second goal and the fifth consecutive for the Nittany Lions to pull within one of the Tigers, 11-12. Despite the ferocious comeback attempt from Penn State, Princeton scored the last two goals of the day as the Nittany Lions fell, 11-14.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions host Michigan for the team’s Senior Day on Sunday, March 22nd at 12 p.m. Penn State will be honoring Tinson, Ho, Driver, Wainman, Emma Kelly, Greco and Emily Bette.