Penn State women’s lacrosse (1-1) earned its first win of the season following an 18-4 victory of Duquesne (2-2) on Wednesday, February 23.

Eleven different Nittany Lions scored throughout the game in Pittsburgh, while several players tallied a multi-goal game, including freshman Brooke Hoss, who racked up four goals on the day. Penn State’s big win was No. 200 for head coach Missy Doherty’s career.

How It Happened

Doherty started sophomore Cayden Jarvis in the net, while Duquesne opted for sophomore Rachel O’Toole.

The game’s opening draw went in favor of Duquesne, giving the Dukes a dangerous scoring chance almost immediately. However, the Nittany Lions quickly found their groove and dominated the game from that point on.

The game’s first goal came from Hoss off of a Duquesne turnover forced by Penn State sophomore Kayla Abernathy with 13:47 left to play. This was Hoss’s first goal of the season.

It didn’t take long for the Nittany Lions to pad their lead. Less than a minute after the first goal, Kayla Abernathy scored on a free position shot after a Duquesne foul with 12:59 left to play.

Sophomore Gretchen Gilmore put the Nittany Lions up 3-0 only seconds after Abernathy’s goal. Senior captain Mary Muldoon assisted Gilmore’s goal. Muldoon soon added another point to her night in the form of a goal with 7:32 left to play and stretched the Nittany Lions’ lead to four. Gilmore notched her second goal of the game with 5:20 left to play, also assisted by Nealon, making it 5-0.

The Nittany Lions continued to dominate and barely let Duquesne out of their half. By the end of the first quarter, Penn State led 7-0 following additional goals from Meghan Murray and Kristin O’Neill.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Hoss tallied her second goal of the game with 14:40 left to play, putting the Nittany Lions up 8-0. Only two minutes later, O’Neill scored on a free position shot after a foul from Duquesne’s Ciara Curtis, notching the Nittany Lions’ ninth goal of the game.

The next three goals, coming from freshman Lauren Saltz, Murray, and Hoss, were also free position shots off of fouls by Duquesne. By the end of the second quarter, the score was 13-0 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

Seemingly to get her some more game experience, Doherty swapped freshman Ashley Bowan into the net to open up the third quarter. Penn State tallied four goals in the third quarter from Alaina Hamood, Sydney Wolfington, Hoss, and Ally Lipkin. Despite the on-field shakeup, there was no shortage of offensive electricity in the Nittany Lions’ lineup. By the end of the third quarter, Duquesne got on the board with a free position goal from Sam King after a foul from Kate Love with 1:07 left to play in the period.

The fourth quarter saw Duquesne deploy an offensive resurgence by scoring the next three goals and pressuring Doherty’s defense for the first time. Tina St. Clair scored the Dukes’ second with an assist from Delaney Rodriguez-Shaw with 12:26 left to play, while Duquesne’s third goal came from Jillian Caroselli. The Dukes’ fourth and final goal was forced by Mackenzie Leszczynski on a free position shot after a foul from junior Haley Urgo.

The Nittany Lions were able to keep Duquesne to only four goals in the game despite spending much of the fourth playing defense.

Penn State’s final goal came from freshman Molly O’Keefe off an assist from Lauren Saltz with 3:32 to play, leading to the Nittany Lions’ 18-4 win.

Player Of The Game

Brooke Hoss | Midfield

Freshman Brooke Hoss showcased a huge display of talent Wednesday afternoon. With no shortage of energy, the rookie midfielder put up four goals off of four shots. Her performance bodes very well for Missy Doherty’s 2022 lineup and the future of Penn State women’s lacrosse.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay on the road and head to Ithaca, New York, to face Cornell. The matchup is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 26.