Penn State men’s lacrosse (1-1) was overcome by Villanova (1-0) 12-14 on Saturday in a back-and-forth road game.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t hold back Matt Campbell and Patrick Daly who tallied a combined eight goals for the Wildcats. Both teams traded possession, penalties, and shots all game long in a tight game marked by high shots and save percentages.

How It Happened

Villanova didn’t waste any time as it won the opening face-off, and Matt Campbell got the game’s first goal just 37 seconds into the match.

Penn State followed suit and Luke Mercer scored his first goal of the season as he found the back of the net past goalkeeper Will Vitton. A mere 30 seconds later, Jack Traynor connected with TJ Malone who scored his third goal of the season to put Penn State up 2-1.

The Wildcats got the ball back and fought past Penn State’s defense as Patrick Daly tied the game back up at 2-2 with 11:13 to play.

The Nittany Lions kept control and tested Vitton and the Wildcats’ defense with shot after shot until Malone found the breakthrough to retake the lead 3-2.

Villanova came back as Austin Fraser scored two in a row and went up 4-3. Penn State fought back and Mercer scooped up a ground ball and converted it into a goal with 2:33 left to play in the first quarter.

The Wildcats won the next few face-offs and capitalized by scoring as they retook the lead. Tucker Goodelle scored with three seconds left to end the back-and-forth quarter with Villanova up 6-4.

Penn State found itself with a significant advantage and up an extra man after Villanova received two penalties early on. Malone capitalized and scored two minutes into the quarter. Sam Sweeney followed up and found the back of the net for his first goal of the season to, once again, tie the game up 6-6 with 9:22 to play.

Villanova called a time-out after Sweeney’s goal and returned with a purpose as it scored two goals by Daly and Matt Licata, increasing its lead 8-6. The rest of the half was defensive as possession switched and shots were saved from both sides.

The Wildcats opened the scoring in the second half during a man-up advantage. Penn State picked up another penalty for slashing and Villanova converted the edge into another man-up goal by Daly to lead 10-6.

Penalties kept coming but this time against Villanova as it got two quick pushing penalties. Traynor ran through the defense and scored his second goal of the season while a man-up with 12:02 to play.

Play calmed down for a few minutes as neither team could find a breakthrough but the Wildcats got frustrated and picked up more penalties. The Nittany Lions took advantage of a man-up situation and Chris Jordan scored with 3:57 left to cut their deficit to 10-8.

The score did not last for long as Licata scored for Villanova. Traynor fought back and found the back of the net past Vitton to put Penn State within two, ending the third quarter trailing 11-9.

Villanova opened the scoring again in the fourth quarter as Campbell found his fourth goal of the game.

Mac Costin hit the back of the net for the Nittany Lions to put them back within two with 8:22 to play. Costin caused a shift in momentum as Traynor and Jordan scored back-to-back goals in the sixth minute to tie the game 12-12.

Penn State tried to keep up its momentum but Villanova fought back in the last stretch. Daly and Campbell followed up with two goals for Villanova in the final minutes of the half to end the game 14-12.

Takeaways:

• Penn State has dramatically improved its face-off game, winning 14 of 28 today. But, they seem to be at their weakest after they lose a face-off as Villanova converted off of multiple face-offs today. Controlling the tempo and creating better transitions from the ball drop would help make an unbeatable face-off game.
• Penn State’s offense came out strong again today but fell at the hands of Will Vitton. It had 30 shots but was held to only 12 goals. Despite the loss, there’s a newfound from the Nittany Lions that looks bright.

What’s Next?

Penn State will return home to host Stony Brook on Saturday, February 18. The game will begin at noon.