No. 14 Penn State women’s lacrosse (11-5, 3-3 Big Ten) couldn’t handle No. 22 Johns Hopkins (8-7, 4-2 Big Ten), losing 16-12 at Homewood Field in Baltimore. 

The Nittany Lions surmounted a 4-1 lead with nearly six minutes left in the first quarter courtesy of goals from Kristin O’Neill and Kara Nealon. However, the Blue Jays scored eight of the matchup’s final ten goals towards the contest’s midway point en route to the upset victory on their home turf. 

How It Happened

After an initial back-and-forth sequence, Johns Hopkins found the net first thanks to a goal from Ava Angello. But, less than a minute later, Kristin O’Neill established her prowess deep in the Blue Jays’ offensive zone, firing off two shots, with one resulting in the Nittany Lions’ first goal of the outing. 

O’Neill kept her foot on the gas and scored yet another goal for Penn State, marking her 45th of the campaign. With 10:17 remaining in the opening frame, the Nittany Lions held a 2-1 lead. 

Through the next five minutes, Penn State followed up the momentum swing with a pair of unanswered strikes, bringing the advantage to a 4-1 clip late in the first quarter. At the quarter’s finish mark, a hot shooting spree by Johns Hopkins knotted the game at five-a-piece. 

The second quarter proved to be all Johns Hopkins, displayed by an insurmountable shots-on-goal margin produced by the Blue Jays. From 13:59 on, the home squad produced six goals compared to just one from Penn State. 

Angello continued her tear on offense with two more scoring tries that moved the Johns Hopkins lead to 10-6 with time dwindling in the half. With 14 seconds left, Marielle McAteer ripped off another strike, moving the Nittany Lions’ deficit to five goals. 

Directly out of the locker room, Brooke Hoss put Penn State back in the goal column, capitalizing on a nearside look, bringing the game back to an 11-7 score. Two minutes later, Georgie Gorelick of Johns Hopkins moved the contest back to a five-goal mark, which was only accentuated by the Blue Jays’ attack. 

At the third quarter’s conclusion, Lauren Saltz scored the Nittany Lions’ eighth goal of the matchup, and the score was set 13-8 heading into the fourth. 

Despite outscoring the home group 5-3 throughout crunch time, Johns Hopkins’ previously-established lead was too large to overcome, defined by striking twice in the final three minutes. 

Anney Hurlbrink and Bailey Cheetham levied the pair of game-ending goals for the Blue Jays’ offense, securing a convincing 16-12 upset at home. 

What’s Next? 

Following the regular-season finale, Penn State will begin its quest in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday, April 29. The game time and location of the contest are to be announced.