Penn State women’s lacrosse (2-2) fell to No. 9-ranked Loyola Maryland (4-0) Saturday afternoon in an 18-9 defeat.

Taylor Regan picked scored three goals for a hat trick, while Gretchen Gilmore notched two. Despite battling back and forth at the beginning of the game, Penn State was ultimately overpowered against the Greyhounds.

How It Happened

Head coach Missy Doherty opted to start freshman Ashley Bowen in the cage for Penn State, while Loyola Maryland went with trusted starter Kaitlyn Larsson.

Sophomore Kayla Abernathy won the first draw for the Nittany Lions, giving Penn State the opportunity for some great ball movement. However, the first five minutes of the game featured no noticeable domination from either team.

With just under 10 minutes left to play in the first quarter, Gilmore scored the first goal of the game, putting the Nittany Lions up 1-0. Sydni Black, able to beat Bowen after missing earlier, tied the game 1-1 for the Greyhounds with 8:02 left in the quarter.

Regan gave Penn State the lead again with 7:09 left to play in the quarter, making it 2-1.

With five minutes left to play in the first, the Nittany Lions were outshooting Loyola MD 5-3. However, it wasn’t long before the game was tied again, 2-2, when Sydni Black notched her second of the game with 2:07 left to play on a free position shot.

Loyola Maryland took the lead for the first time in the game shortly before the end of the first quarter thanks to a goal from junior Emily Wills, making the score 3-2. Once again, though, Gilmore was able to tie the game, 3-3, in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Loyola Maryland took a 4-3 lead shortly into the second quarter with a goal from Livy Rosenzweig with 12:07 left to play. It wasn’t long after that Black scored her third of the game, earning a hat trick and making it 5-3 for Loyola MD with 11:47 left to play.

Gilmore received a yellow card with 9:55 left to play, putting Loyola Maryland on the man advantage for two minutes. Loyola Maryland senior Jillian Wilson gained a free position shot after a foul from Penn State freshman Ellie Hollin, and the Greyhounds were able to capitalize. Wilson put Loyola Maryland up 6-3 with 8:46 left to play.

Doherty took a timeout at this point to try and slow down Loyola Maryland’s momentum, which seemed to work. Shortly after the timeout, Regan notched her second of the game with 7:50 left to play, making it 6-4.

Penn State was lucky to gain the man advantage shortly after Regan’s goal when Livy Rosenzweig drew a yellow card, getting sent off for two minutes. The Nittany Lions took advantage of the opportunity only seconds later when senior captain Mary Muldoon scored with 7:09 left to play, making it a 6-5 game.

Unfortunately, junior Rachel Spilker drew a yellow card not long after, again sending Loyola Maryland to the man advantage for two minutes. Elli Kluegel was able to regain Loyola Maryland’s two-goal cushion with 5:10 left to play, making it 7-5.

At this point, Loyola Maryland began to dominate with several goals in quick succession. The second quarter ended with the Greyhounds up 10-5 over the Nittany Lions.

The back-and-forth dynamic from earlier in the game made a reappearance in the beginning of the third quarter. Penn State sophomore Kristin O’Neill made the game 10-6 with 12:36 left to play, giving the Nittany Lions a little more life. However, Sam Fiedler quickly answered and restored Loyola Maryland’s five-goal lead with 11:46 left to play in the third.

Later, Meghan Murray answered the call and scored for the Nittany Lions with 11:46 left to play, making it 11-7. At this point, however, Loyola Maryland’s offensive firepower ramped back up and brought another hoard of goals in quick succession. Catie Corolla, Livy Rosenzweig, and Fiedler all notched their second goals of the game. With 1:00 left to play in the third quarter, Fiedler notched her third of the game and gave Loyola Maryland the 15-7 lead heading into the fourth frame.

The final quarter was less eventful compared to earlier parts of the game. Almost five minutes into the fourth, Fiedler scored her fourth goal of the game, putting Loyola Maryland up 16-7 with 11:09 remaining in the game. About three minutes later, Loyola Maryland freshman Georgia Latch scored and made the game 17-7, triggering the running clock as the game reached a 10-goal differential.

The Nittany Lions soon answered on the man advantage when Jillian Wilson drew a yellow card. Meghan Murray scored on a free position shot for her second of the day, making the score 17-8 and stopping the running clock. However, Latch was able to restore the 10-goal lead again with her second of the day, putting the Greyhounds up 18-8.

Regan notched her third score of the game with 2:15 left to play in the quarter in what was ultimately the last goal of the game. Regan’s score cut Loyola Maryland’s lead to 18-9.

Player Of The Game

Taylor Regan | Attack

Now with her second consecutive game with three or more goals, Regan becoming an undeniable presence on the field. She regained Penn State’s lead early in the first quarter and continued to be an offensive threat on the field throughout the entire game.

In her first season as a Nittany Lion after a transfer as a graduate student, Regan is an impressive add to the program. It’s likely she’ll continue to be a huge part of Penn State’s offensive firepower as the season continues.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will host their first regular-season game at Panzer Stadium on Wednesday, March 9 against James Madison. The opening draw is set for 1 p.m.