No. 7 Penn State (10-2, 1-2 Big Ten) traveled to the Mecca of Lacrosse to take on Johns Hopkins (7-4, 2-1 Big Ten) for an important Big Ten matchup. The Nittany Lions dropped their second game in a row, as first-half struggles were too much for Penn State to overcome in a 13-11 loss.

How It Happened

The Nittany Lions struggled to keep Hopkins off of the board early, which has really been the story of their season. The Blue Jays took an early lead, just 37 seconds into the matchup. Penn State responded well, however, scoring a goal of their own thanks to Grant Ament. Each team scored a goal to bring things to 2-2 before Forry Smith scooped up a rebound and found the back of the net. Johns Hopkins would score 2 more goals in the first

Hopkins scored a goal just 22 seconds into the second quarter, taking a 5-2 lead. The senior Dan Craig would respond with a goal of his own, bringing the score to 5-3. Turnovers and an inability to win face-offs led to two more goals for the Blue Jays. Penn State was totally outplayed in the second quarter, trailing heavily in shots and possession. The Nittany Lions went into the break trailing 10-5.

The Blue Jays, once again, struck first in the second half with a goal from Patrick Fraser. Nick Spillane scored for Penn State with 7:57 left in the quarter, though. Those were the only two goals in the third quarter as Hopkins was able to keep the Nittany Lions at arm’s length.

Grant Ament scored just 9 seconds into the fourth quarter to cut the lead down to four. Mike Sutton added another goal to make the score 11-9. Forry Smith, however, broke a scoring drought that lasted more than 20 minutes for the Blue Jays with 7:20 left in the game. Mike Sutton made it a two-goal game with another goal. Penn State brought the deficit to only one, but the Nittany Lions could not complete the comeback. A late goal on an empty net from Tinney for Johns Hopkins sealed the victory.

Player of the Game

Mike Sutton | Senior | Midfielder

Mike Sutton was a key component in getting the near-comeback for Penn State, scoring some huge goals in the second half. Sutton’s play nearly sent the game into overtime.

What’s Next

Penn State will return to University Park to take on Rutgers in another important Big Ten matchup. The game will take place on Sunday, April 23 at 7 p.m.