No. 6 Penn State lacrosse (0-1) couldn’t quite put it together on Saturday, losing a close game against No. 17 Rutgers (1-0) in the opening game of the season 11-9.

The Nittany Lions were led by Dan Reaume, who scored three times and added one assist, but it wasn’t enough in the end for Jeff Tambroni’s team.

How It Happened

The game opened up with a goal from Penn State’s TJ Malone within the first two minutes. The Nittany Lions continued their strong start with a goal by Dylan Foulds, giving them a two-goal cushion.

Rutgers fought back with a Connor Kirst goal, shortening the lead to 2-1. Penn State responded on the next possession with a goal by Dan Reaume. Rutgers fired right back with another tally from Kirst before David Sprock equalized the contest at 3.

The Scarlet Knights were on a roll in the first quarter, scoring three goals in a roll with a goal by Shane Knobloch that gave Rutgers a 4-3 lead. The high-scoring first quarter closed out with a goal for Penn State on a beautiful cut by Malone and an assist by Foulds.

The second quarter didn’t have nearly as much offensive action as the first, with Rutgers outscoring the Nittany Lions 2-1 in the period to amass a 6-5 lead at the half. Penn State’s only goal of the quarter came after Dylan Foulds took advantage of a crease violation by Rutgers, with TJ Malone giving the needed assist.

Despite the Penn State attack looking a bit lost at times, the group hung to a one-goal deficit at the end of the first half. The Nittany Lions had a lot of positives moving forward, but Kirst was the man of the match thus far.

Penn State came out much stronger to start the third quarter, opening with two unanswered Reaume goals in the first three minutes of the third quarter, giving him a hat-trick on the game. Although it looked like the quarter would be an offense-heavy one, it was highlighted by the defense of both teams; with 15 minutes to play, the score was even at 7 apiece.

Rutgers’ Kieran Mullins came out of the gates hot with a highlight-reel play to begin the last quarter. When the Nittany Lions needed it the most, a struggling Mac O’Keefe came in clutch, tying up the game for Penn State, making it 8-8 with 12 minutes to play.

Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, they couldn’t get over the hump and take the lead. Adam Charalambides gave Rutgers a 9-8 lead, and in the following possession, Ross Scott added to its lead, putting them up by two goals with only five minutes left in the game. Malone cut the Rutgers lead to one, but it wasn’t enough for Penn State.

Just when the Nittany Lions thought they had a chance to tie it up as the game was closing, Charalambides scored with less than a minute left, sealing the game for Rutgers.

Takeaways

• This game proved to be an extremely competitive one with both teams never having a lead of more than two goals. Each team traded goals and could never really take over the game. Right as it seemed as if one team could take over the game, the other struck right back. If this is how the rest of Penn State’s season will play out, in the words of college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, “Grab your nitroglycerin pills!”
• Both teams had two stars of the show. TJ Malone and Dan Reaume were huge for Penn State, contributing a combined six goals and three assists. For Rutgers it was the Kirst brothers, with Colin Kirst locking down the goal while Connor Kirst was everywhere, ending with 3 goals and 4 assists.
• If the Penn State attack wants to excel, it is going to need Mac O’Keefe to step up more. He struggled throughout the game, particularly in the first half. The Nittany Lions tried to get him more involved in the second half, getting the ball in his hands more. O’Keefe ended the game with just one goal, and that proved not enough.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions play their home opener against Maryland at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, February 26. It will be hosted on BTN.