Penn State men’s lacrosse (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) came back to win against Ohio State (5-5, 0-1 Big Ten) 12-9 on Sunday afternoon to start Big Ten play.

Penn State grabbed the first goal of the game but quickly fell, letting Ohio State control the tempo and run through the defense. The Buckeyes picked up six unanswered goals before Penn State started its classic second-half comeback, led by Mac Costin and Matt Traynor.

How It Happened

Penn State went a man-up early on, with Traynor grabbing the first shot of the game.

The Nittany Lions’ shots continued to be foiled by netminder Caleb Fyock and Ohio State went on the attack. The Buckeyes seemed to find their breakthrough but had a goal disallowed due to a crease violation.

Penn State had three quick shot-clock violations, allowing Ohio State to run quick counter-attacks. With neither team able to find a breakthrough and play growing increasingly hasty, Ohio State called a timeout halfway through the first quarter.

Coming back from break, Penn State already seemed more put together and level-headed. Costin got the ball with space and sent an absolute rocket bouncing past Fyock to put Penn State on the board.

Ohio State came back and picked up a man-up opportunity, capitalizing on it to squeeze one past Jack Fracyon and tie the game 1-1 with four minutes left in the first.

Penn State shots kept going wide and Ohio State won the ball back, taking off downfield. Ed Shean found room right on the crease and pushed the ball into the back of the net. The Buckeyes won the next faceoff and took off, scoring another goal as the clock ran out to end the first quarter with Ohio State leading 3-1.

The Buckeyes didn’t waste any time entering the second quarter, winning the faceoff and scoring their fourth unanswered goal in just a minute.

Ohio State controlled to control the pace, and Penn State called a timeout with 9:31 left. The Buckeyes scored two quick goals on the return, increasing its lead to five, 6-1.

Luke Mercer finally found the breakthrough for Penn State after six unanswered goals. Mercer sprinted past his defender, whipping the ball around another while midstride to end the nearly ten-minute drought.

TJ Malone quickly followed suit, breaking ankles and forcing his way through to blast the ball past Fyock’s head.

Luke Walstrum made it three unanswered for Penn State, wrapping along the crease and diving to send it low into the back of the net, decreasing the deficit to only two.

The Nittany Lions picked up an offsides offense and the Buckeyes capitalized on this, sending a quick-stick shot into the back of the net at the crease.

Penn State called a timeout with just under a minute left in the half, searching for a strong ending. Mercer’s shot went wide and the half ended with Ohio State leading 7-4.

Ohio State won the faceoff to start the second half, but Penn State won it back and brought down a flurry of shots. Mercer’s shot hit the crossbar before Fyock grabbed the rebound.

Malone intercepted Fyock’s clearance and sent it to Traynor, who had an easy shot on an open net to bring the game back within two. Traynor followed up three minutes later with another goal, going low to high, to make it 7-6.

Penn State had the ball in the closing seconds of the third quarter, running down the clock to get off the final shot. Costin waited for his opportunity before darting in front of the net and bouncing the ball into the net to tie the game 7-7 and end the third.

Malone came out on fire to start the fourth and put Penn State back in the lead by one, 8-7. He got the ball around the 20, right in front of the net, and smashed it into the top right corner.

The next nine minutes were full of ground balls, shots, and switched possession. Ohio State hit the crossbar but was able to score off the rebound.

Costin and Jake Morin quickly responded for the Nittany Lions to reclaim the lead with back-to-back goals, 10-8.

Grant Haus won a ground ball and took it coast-to-coast, going all by himself to smash in a goal and increase the lead to three. The goals kept coming for Penn State in the fourth quarter as Traynor grabbed a hat-trick on the day.

The Buckeyes grabbed another goal with just under two minutes left in the game to put it back within three, 12-9. Penn State played keep away to secure its come-from-behind win, 12-9.

Takeaways

• After a bit of a sloppy first half, Penn State absolutely dominated the second half. It scored eight goals in the second half, holding Ohio State to only two, both in the fourth quarter. This game was another example that while Traynor and Malone may get the most attention, every single player on this team can win games and bring Penn State back to the semifinals on Memorial Day Weekend.
• Penn State’s winning streak has now been extended to seven, the longest in the country. The Nittany Lions are continuing to chug through the rankings and are asserting themselves as one of the best teams in the country.

What’s Next?

Penn State will return to Happy Valley to take on Maryland on Sunday, March 31. The game will start at 7 p.m. and be streamed on the Big Ten Network.