UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions (11-4, 3-3 Big Ten) fell to the No. 4 Northwestern Wildcats (10-4, 4-2 Big Ten), 17-12 on Sunday afternoon at Panzer Stadium.
The pair of Kelly MacKinney and Delaney Radin powered the Penn State offensive performance. MacKinney and Radin each picked up the hat trick in the performance; Radin collected three assists to go along with her scoring performance. Tewaaraton Watch List honoree Erika Ho tallied two goals and an assist. Emma Kelly, Rocquette Allen, Anna Salerno, and Payton Wainman each scored a goal in the action. Allen picked up two assists, while Salerno and Wainman each picked up an assist each.
Defensively, Maddie Greco, Maggie Driver and Lauren Tinson each tallied a pair of caused turnovers while Salerno and Spilker both picked up two ground balls. In the cage, Sydney Manning had 12 saves on 42 shots faced.
KEY PERFORMANCES
Kelly MacKinney - three goals, three points
Delaney Radin - three goals, three assists, six points
Erika Ho - two goals, one assist, three points, four draw controls
Rocquette Allen - one goal, two assists, three points
Sydney Manning – 12 saves
FIRST QUARTER | PSU 3 – NORTHWESTERN 3
Manning stopped the opening chance for the Wildcats, and Penn State quickly flipped the field, where Allen was able to score on the unassisted heater. Northwestern then won the next draw control, but the Nittany Lions cleared their attempt. Radin led the charge and found Ho to put the Nittany Lions up, 2-0. Both sides then traded possessions but were unable to capitalize on each of their opportunities. The Wildcats then cashed in back-to-back possessions to tie the game at two apiece. Penn State retaliated quickly, with Allen setting up MacKinney for the goal to retake the lead at 3-2. The Nittany Lions immediately went back on the attack with a draw control by Ho, but couldn’t capitalize. The Wildcats responded with a chance of their own that was unsuccessful, but after Penn State turned it over, they cashed in on their second attempt with one minute left to tie the game.
SECOND QUARTER | PSU 5 – NORTHWESTERN 7
MacKinney opened up the first half with an opportunity for Penn State but couldn’t capitalize on the attempt. Northwestern followed the attempt with a shot on goal but was turned away by Manning. Each side then traded stops until it was Ho who picked up her second goal of the game while Penn State was on the man-up to take a 4-3 advantage. Immediately following, the Wildcats gained the draw control and tied the game back up at 4-4. Northwestern went right back on the attack, and after a failed clear attempt by Penn State, the Wildcats took their first lead of the afternoon. Northwestern, immediately following the goal, won the draw control, but Salerno was there defensively, forcing the Wildcats into a turnover. Salerno turned defense into offense and scored the goal of a pass from Allen to put the score back to even. Both sides then traded possessions with no shots happening during each opportunity. On its third chance following the goal, Northwestern found the back of the net to retake the lead. The Wildcats kept their momentum rolling after the goal, where they scored on their second chance opportunity to take a two-goal advantage with seven seconds left in the half.
THIRD QUARTER | PSU 7 – NORTHWESTERN 13
Ho opened the second half with a draw control win that led to a scoring chance and two Penn State shots, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t capitalize. Northwestern responded by going back on the attack and scoring, then quickly added another after gaining the ensuing draw control to extend the lead to 9-5. Penn State turned away back-to-back chances from the Wildcats, but Northwestern broke through on its third possession with a goal and, after another draw control win, pushed the lead to 11-5. The Nittany Lions answered as Payton Wainman secured the draw, led the team downfield, and scored her 37th goal of the season off a pass from Radin to cut it to 11-6. Penn State forced a stop on Northwestern’s next possession, but a turnover allowed the Wildcats to regain momentum and stretch the lead back to six. Emma Kelly then sparked another response, scoring an unassisted goal to make it 12-7, but Northwestern once again controlled the draw and added a goal to extend the advantage to 13-7.
FOURTH QUARTER | PSU 12 – NORTHWESTERN 17
Penn State started the fourth quarter strong, as Delaney Radin found MacKinney for a goal, her 38th of the season, to cut the deficit to 13-8. The Nittany Lions won the ensuing draw but turned it over, and Northwestern capitalized, eventually scoring after two missed shots to make it 14-8. The Wildcats then forced another Penn State turnover and added a goal to push the lead to seven, later extending it to 16-8 following another giveaway. Both teams traded stops midway through the quarter until a Northwestern foul set up a free-position shot, where Radin converted for her second goal. Penn State built momentum with a stop that led to Wainman assisting MacKinney for her third goal, then won the draw as Ho found Radin for another score to make it 16-11. The run continued with a defensive stand and Salerno setting up Radin for her third goal, cutting the lead to 16-12. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Nittany Lions fell, 17-12.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Penn State’s game against Northwestern saw a record-breaking crowd with 1,115 fans in attendance, setting a new women’s lacrosse record inside Panzer Stadium.
- Radin is currently sitting at 47 assists this season and needs five more to break the Penn State single-season record that stands at 51.
UP NEXT
Penn State will stay at Panzer for its regular-season home finale against Johns Hopkins on Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. The game will be on the Big Ten Network and will serve as the team’s Whiteout game.