Penn State women’s lacrosse (2-3) fell to Drexel (3-2) 10-8 Wednesday afternoon in a rainy game in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Nittany Lions fell in their first road game of the season amid offensive struggles. They struggled to keep their footing and control the tempo throughout the hour despite a hat trick and a strong showing from Meghan Murray.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening draw but found itself in a 90-second scrap, fighting for control. Drexel came out on top and got a shot off, but netminder Sydney Manning saved it.

Manning sent it out the back, and Kelly MacKinney drew a foul to gain the advantage and hit the back of the net for the first goal of the game.

Drexel came back with some fire, firing off shots and winning free positions. It found its breakthrough halfway through the first quarter as Corinne Bednarik snuck one past Manning to tie the game 1-1.

Both teams battled back and forth for five minutes, trading shots and fouls. Cam Evitts won a free-position shot and converted it for her first goal of the season for the Nittany Lions. Gretchen Gilmore followed up with a free position goal of her own a minute later to end the first quarter with a 3-1 lead for the blue and white.

Drexel won the draw at the start of the second and quickly drew a foul. Bednarik took advantage of this and connected with Molly Weygand to push one on and close the deficit to one. Bednarik received the ball after the next draw and took it all the way herself for a quick solo goal to tie it 3-3.

The Dragons continued their second-quarter domination with Kate Marano joining the scoresheet and claiming the lead.

Neither team could find a breakthrough or control the tempo for the next five minutes with constant ground balls. Penn State started to regain its footing with a slew of shots, and Meghan Murrary’s shot broke its 11-minute drought to retie the game with just under four minutes left in the half.

Drexel took control after the next draw and converted a free position shot with just under a minute left. Penn State came back, and Ally Lipkin slammed one into the back of the net with seconds left to end the half tied at 5-5.

Drexel controlled the tempo to start the second half and went a woman-up after Gilmore picked up a green card. It took advantage of the opportunity, and Anna Maria Gragani grabbed a goal.

The Nittany Lions fought to come back and caused a turnover, picking up fouls on their way to the crease. Murray blasted a shot past goalie Jenika Cuocco to make it 6-6 halfway through the third period.

The Dragons went on a scoring run to end the quarter, adding three more to end it 9-6.

Manning was replaced by veteran goalie Ashley Bowan in an attempt to refortify the team.

Penn State went a woman-up early on in the fourth period as Brooke Hoss scored off the advantage. Penn State won the next draw and had a slew of shows before Gilmore picked up a green card.

The Dragons won a free position shot but Bowan saved and cleared the ball, giving Penn State some fire from the back. Murray grabbed a hat trick for the day to put Penn State within one with just under five minutes to play.

The Nittany Lions turned over the ball and picked up two green cards back-to-back, getting sloppy with play and giving up multiple fouls. They gave up a free position shot which was saved by Manning but immediately gave up another foul.

The Dragons capitalized on these mistakes, and Bednarik grabbed her own hat trick on the day to seal the game 10-8 for Drexel.

Takeaways

• Penn State couldn’t keep up with Drexel today and struggled to find any real domination throughout the game. There were constant turnovers and ground ball fights that harmed the Nittany Lions, something they need to work on to take control of their games.
• Veteran netminder Ashley Bowan came in at the end of the game amid struggles from freshman Sydney Manning. Manning gave up nine goals, saving only three shots for a .250 save percentage. The freshman has had strong showings to start the season but still needs time to step into the big role. Giving Bowan more time in the net will foster competition and bigger showings between the net, something the Nittany Lions are in desperate need of.
• Despite the loss, Penn State had 25 shots and 19 on goal. The offensive talent is there but is simply struggling to break through. Once it finds its footing and connection, Penn State will be on fire.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will stay on the road to take on Loyola. The game will take place at noon on Saturday, March 2, in Baltimore.