In a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight, Penn State women’s lacrosse lost to Princeton 13-12 Monday at Panzer Stadium.

Maria Auth and Katie O’Donnell led the Nittany Lions with a pair of hat tricks, but the Tigers prevailed thanks in large part to a 5-0 run early in the second half.

How It Happened

Five different Penn State players found the back of the net in the first few minutes of the annual Pink Zone game, helping Missy Doherty’s Nittany Lions establish a 5-1 lead. Madison Carter’s team-leading 33rd goal of the season extended Penn State’s advantage to 7-2 with 11:27 left before halftime. She would finish with a career-high 15 draw controls.

The Tigers soon cut Penn State’s lead to 7-5 a few minutes ahead of the intermission. Auth scored a free-position goal with 17 seconds on the clock after being brought down hard in front of the Princeton net.

O’Donnell started the second half with a bang, scoring her second goal of the game to make it 9-5. Princeton tied things up, 9-9, with 22:35 to go. The Tigers pulled in front shortly after Kayla Brisolari received Penn State’s first yellow card.

O’Donnell broke the scoring drought for the Nittany Lions, but Princeton retook the lead as Kyla Sears finished off her hat trick. Elizabeth George scored all three of her goals in a 13-minute span late in the game. Penn State had a chance to force overtime, but Princeton’s staunch defense held pat.

Player of the Game

Kyla Sears | Freshman | Midfielder

Sears showed why she was one of the nation’s top recruits, leading the Tigers to victory with five points.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions (6-4, 1-0 Big Ten) host Johns Hopkins Thursday at 7 p.m. If you can’t make it to Panzer Stadium, the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.