Penn State men’s lacrosse (5-3) survived a near fourth quarter collapse against Fairfield (2-6) on Saturday.  Up 17-5, Penn State let up eight goals to Fairfield and almost let them come back.

How It Happened

Fairfield came out hitting in the first quarter, pressuring Penn State in the midfield. Both teams had some chances, but tough defense made it take nine minutes for either team to finally get a goal. It was Fairfield who struck first, but Mac O’Keefe responded a few minutes later to tie things up. With just 55 seconds left in the first quarter, Nick Spillane got another one to give Penn State a 2-1 going into the second quarter.

The second quarter proved to be all Penn State’s. Two more goals came from the sticks of O’Keefe and Robby Black within the first two minutes. Just a few minutes later, another goal from O’Keefe and one for Dylan Foulds made it a 6-1 Penn State lead. Fairfield stopped the run with another goal, but  O’Keefe was feeling himself and responded back quickly.  The quarter would finish with another Fairfield goal and a Penn State goal from Cole Willard to make it an 8-3 game

More offense came for Penn State in the third quarter. Foulds scored two right off the bat to complete his hat trick and  O’Keefe followed suite with another one, already with four on the day. Fairfield would score two more in the quarter, but goal from Ryan Keenan and Spillane kept Penn State in control with a 13-5 lead at the end of the quarter.

Fairfield showed signs of life in the fourth quarter. Goals from Kevin Hill, O’Keefe, Foulds, and Cole all within the first four minutes of the quarter would make it a 17-5 game, but that would be the last goals of the game for Penn State. Fairfield came out swinging, scoring goal after goal and slowly closing the gap between the teams. Penn State was able to hold on to their lead, but Fairfield came close coming back with 8 goals in the fourth, leaving Penn State with a 17-13 win.

Player Of The Game

Mac O’Keefe | Sophomore | Attack

In a day full of goals, it was O’Keefe who shined the most. A double hat trick coupled with two assists gave him 8 points, the most for any Nittany Lion on the day.

What’s Next

Penn State returns home to play Cleveland State in University Park. The game will be on March 24 at 1 p.m.