No. 10 Men’s Lacrosse Continues Strong Start in B1G Play, Downs No. 8 Ohio StateNo. 10 Men’s Lacrosse Continues Strong Start in B1G Play, Downs No. 8 Ohio State

No. 10 Men’s Lacrosse Continues Strong Start in B1G Play, Downs No. 8 Ohio State

The Nittany Lions are 2-0 in conference play for the first time since 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 10 Penn State men’s lacrosse moved to 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 2019 season with a 13-6 win over No. 8 Ohio State at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The last time PSU was perfect in the opening of its first two conference games, it went on to go 5-0, winning its first Big Ten regular season title. PSU again got to scoring early, jumping out to a 4-0 lead before Ohio State scored its first of the afternoon. The lead was one PSU never relinquished, as the Nittany Lions never allowed the home team within fewer than two scores.

Four different Nittany Lions scored a pair of goals in the outing, helping to force Ohio State to give up its most goals surrendered all season. Freshman Jack Iannantuono was the leader of the pack, posting two goals and two assists on the day, while also scooping two groundballs. Redshirt sophomore Liam Matthews and true sophomore Chase Robertson followed with two goals and an assist each. Redshirt senior Michael Faraone was the final multi-goal scorer, putting away a pair of goals for PSU. Redshirt senior Luke Walstrum tallied a goal and an assist for two points, while graduate student John Jude Considine, junior Kyle Lehman, senior Jon King, and junior Mark Watters each tallied a goal of their own.

In his homecoming game, freshman goalkeeper Preston Hawkins posted 10 saves and secured a 62.5 percent save percentage to help anchor his defense in the contest. The Nittany Lions were grittier than the Buckeyes, winning the groundball battle and forcing 23 turnovers from the home team. Sophomore Peri DiBartolomeo set the tone defensively, causing three turnovers and scooping three groundballs. His brothers Lucca and Roman DiBartolomeo followed with two caused turnovers apiece. Penn State’s faceoff unit had a rare off day, losing the battle at the dot for just the second time this season. Junior Colby Baldwin and sophomore Reid Gills combined for just seven wins compared to Ohio State’s 16.

FIRST QUARTER – 5-2, Penn State

  • Penn State won the opening faceoff, but with the win so deep in the Nittany Lions’ end, PSU was forced on the clear. The Buckeye ride caused an early turnover, giving OSU the first real look on offense. The PSU defense held strong, forcing a shot clock violation from home squad, and getting PSU its first chance on offense.
  • The Nittany Lions wasted no time getting on the boards, scoring on their first shot of the day when Jack Iannantuono found Michael Faraone for a score with 12:44 left in the first.
  • Liam Matthews was next on the score sheet, going behind the back as he was checked to the ground in Ohio State traffic. His shot went five-hole on Ohio State netminder Caleb Fyock, leading to a two-goal edge for PSU.
  • John Jude Considine joined the action, taking the rock straight to the rack on his own at the 7:39 mark.
  • Iannantuono scored his first goal of the afternoon just 36 seconds later on an isolation take from X. He got the OSU close defender to over commit, falling for the bear trap, leading to an easy dunk for the freshman.
  • OSU would go on to outscore PSU, 2-1, down the stretch, leading to a 5-2 Nittany Lion edge after 15 minutes of action.

SECOND QUARTER – 8-3, Penn State

  • Ohio State got the first tally in the second frame just 47 seconds into the quarter, cutting the lead to two for the first and only time that afternoon.
  • OSU came up empty handed on the second possession of the quarter after winning the ensuing faceoff, and Chase Robertson got his first of the day on the other end with a steaking dodge on the left wing to bury the ball in the net solo.
  • Iannantuono kept the PSU momentum by taking his pole mark to cage from goal-line extended, burying his shot to take a 7-3 edge with under 10 minutes to go in the opening half.
  • Messy possessions for both squads followed for over eight minutes, leading to multiple empty looks.
  • The first flag of the day broke the flow, with Ohio State getting whistled for the cross-check. Robertson found Lehman waiting on Fyock’s doorstep to secure the EMO tally and take a five-goal lead.

THIRD QUARTER – 12-5, Penn State 

  • The Buckeyes again struck first out of the break, cutting the PSU lead to four less than two minutes into the back half of the contest.
  • Both teams traded scores before Penn State stapled together back-to-back tallies. The first came off a near-turnover from Jon King, but the ball trickled past Fyock into the cage for a good goal for the short-stick. The second came from near goal-line extended, when Michael Faraone buried a score with just over five minutes left off a feed from Matthews.
  • Chase Robertson tacked on one more goal for good measure, keeping Penn State’s man-up perfect on the day with a score in the closing 30 seconds.

FOURTH QUARTER – 13-6, Penn State

  • OSU made a change in net headed into the final block, subbing out starter Caleb Fyock for junior netminder Jack Allen, who won the conference’s Specialist of the Week award on March 24 after coming in for relief for Fyock last week.
  • Walstrum’s attack from X in the fourth minute of the final frame pushed PSU to an eight-goal lead at 13-5, but the Buckeyes had an immediate response. The Ohio State FOGO won the next faceoff and streaked to goal to get one back 13 seconds later.
  • Both defenses closed out with no further goals allowed, including a penalty kill for the Nittany Lions, as PSU took home the win.

POST GAME NOTES

  • The win marks Penn State’s fourth top 15 victory this season.
  • Penn State is now 22-8 all-time against Ohio State.
  • Coach Tambroni is now 12-6 all-time against the Buckeyes.
  • Peri and Roman DiBartolomeo’s caused turnover number (three and two, respectively), mark career highs for both short sticks.

UP NEXT

Penn State remains on the road next weekend to take on No. 11 Johns Hopkins for a third consecutive ranked Big Ten matchup. The contest, slated for noon on Saturday, April 4, will be broadcast live on the ESPNU for fans at home.

FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS

Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State men’s lacrosse. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion men’s lacrosse team on X and Instagram @PennStateMLAX, in addition to the team’s Facebook page at /PennStateMensLacrosse.