Two Big Ten powers clashed on Sunday night as No. 2 Penn State (10-0, 1-0 Big Ten) took on the Buckeyes at the Penn State Lacrosse Field. The Nittany Lions opened Big Ten play against No. 5 Ohio State (9-2, 0-2 Big Ten) with a convincing 9-4 victory — appearing very deserving of their high ranking after cruising in the conference opener.

How It Happened

Penn State opened up the scoring early with a goal from Nick Aponte. Ohio State responded with a goal of their own shortly after from Logan Maccani. Mike Sutton gave Penn State the lead with a goal to make it 2-1, but – once again – Ohio State responded with a goal of its own. Going into the first intermission, things were all tied up at 2-2.

Ohio State took the lead just 10 seconds into the second half. The Nittany Lions really struggled with face-offs early on, ceding a good amount of possession to the Buckeyes right off the bat. Mac O’Keefe got on the scoreboard (like he always does) with 11:42 left in the half, tying things back up at 3. Both teams looked poised and ready for the matchup throughout the first half.

Nick Spillane gave the Nittany Lions a 4-3 lead, which they would ride into the halftime break. The real story of the first half was the play of Colby Kneese who was playing like he had something to prove. Kneese seemed to save every clear goal-scoring opportunity that came Ohio State’s way.

The third quarter went all Penn State’s way. Goals from Drake Kreinz, Mike Sutton, and Dan Craig gave the Nittany Lions a 7-3 lead heading into the third quarter. Penn State played like the number one team in the nation heading into the fourth.

Kevin Hill extended the lead to 8-3 for the Nittany Lions with 10:18 left in the game. Tre Leclaire notched one back for the Buckeyes to make it 8-4 and Grant Ament closed out the scoring for Penn State for a 9-4 victory.

Player of the Game

Colby Kneese | Goalie | Freshman

Colby Kneese had a terrific game in goal, coming up with some incredible saves to deny the Buckeyes some of their best chances of the game. His performance was vital in the Nittany Lions’ victory in their conference opener.

What’s Next

Penn State will travel to College Park to take on the No. 9 Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on BTN.