Jeff Tambroni’s 17th-ranked Nittany Lions raced out to a 6-1 lead over No. 19 Rutgers (10-3, 3-1 Big Ten) on the road at High Point Solutions Stadium Friday night, but fell to the Scarlet Knights in a 15-14 barn burner.

How It Happened

Penn State finished on the wrong end of a 6-1 second quarter, allowing Brian Brecht’s squad to build momentum before eking out an important Big Ten conference win with some stellar defense. Sophomore goalie Will Schreiner posted an impressive 10 saves, but the Kemblesville, Pa., native surrendered one too many goals to the Scarlet Knights, who were rolling offensively over the last three quarters. Junior Kris Alleyne tallied eight saves and gave up 14 goals for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers sophomore attackman Jules Heningburg had himself a night, posting a game-high six goals on seven shots, while adding two assists. Leading the way for the Nittany Lions was junior Nick Aponte, who found the back of the net on four occasions and his teammates on two more.

The Scarlet Knights took a 15-13 lead with 6:18 to play, as senior attackman Scott Bieda notched his 25th goal of the season and the eventual game winner on an assist from Heningburg. Aponte rounded out the scoring just under three minutes later, but Penn State’s last-second charge was stifled by Alleyne’s strong play in net.

Player Of The Game

Jules Heningburg | Sophomore | Attackman

The Maplewood, N.J., product was far and away the most impressive player on the offensive side of the field Friday night with a commanding six goals and two assists for Rutgers.

What’s Next?

Penn State (7-6, 1-3 Big Ten) will have a little over a week off before hosting Michigan on Saturday, April 30 at noon in University Park.