No. 22 Penn State women’s lacrosse (7-6, 2-2 Big Ten) fell short 15-10 against the No. 5 Michigan (13-1, 3-1 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon in Penn State’s Senior Day.

Kristin O’Neill led in scoring for the Nittany Lions with four goals, while Brooke Hoss contributed three goals.

How It Happened

The Wolverines opened quickly with a goal from Annabelle Burke 48 seconds into the game. Penn State goalie Cayden Jarvis saved a goal on Michigan’s next offensive possession.

Michigan continued its success on the offensive side of the ball, with goals from Josie Gooch, Caroline Davis, Kaylee Dyer, and Jane Fetterolf. Penn State found itself in a 5-0 deficit but closed out the first quarter on a positive note with a Hoss goal.

Michigan turned the ball over early in the second quarter but recovered quickly with another goal from Dyer. Penn State bounced back not long after the goal from Dyer, with Hoss scoring her second goal of the game with 12:27 left in the quarter to make the score 6-2.

Brooke Hoss with her second goal of the game!

Q2 12:27 | PSU 2, MICH 6 pic.twitter.com/fHrpiPB9aP

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 6, 2024

Dyer responded, scoring her third goal of the game with 11:21 left in the second quarter. The Wolverines found continued success on offense, with Julia Schwabe scoring her first goal of the game later in the second quarter.

With 7:16 left in the first half, Hoss rebounded offensively, scoring her third goal Penn State found the net yet again soon after via a goal from Emma Kelly.

Emma Kelly with her first goal of the game!

Q2 4:58 | PSU 4, MICH 9 pic.twitter.com/g4ydutujS8

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 6, 2024

O’Neill scored soon after for the Nittany Lions, making the score 9-5 with 4:11 left in the first half. Michigan again found the goal with an Ava Class goal as Dyer tallied an assist. The score after the first half was 10-5 in favor of the Wolverines.

Dyer opened up the scoring in the second half, with her fourth goal of the game coming at with 9:27 left in the third quarter.

Michigan continued its success on both sides of the ball throughout the third quarter, with goalie Erin O’Grady blocking a shot from Nittany Lions attacker Kara Nealon. Penn State built on some offensive momentum, culminating in a Kayla Abernathy goal, her 13th of the season.

Jill Smith scored her first goal of the game for the Wolverines with 2:41 left in the third quarter, assisted by Dyer.

Smith received an offsides penalty at the start of the fourth quarter.

O’Neill found the net again for the second time of the game, scoring the seventh goal for the Nittany Lions at the 13:24 mark in the last quarter. Immediately after, Penn State continued its push on offense with Abernathy’s second goal of the game, assisted by Ally Lipkin. Abernathy’s second goal came at the 12:53 mark in the fourth quarter, and the score of the game stood at 12-8 in favor of Michigan.

Kayla Abernathy with her second of the game, assisted by Ally Lipkin!

Q4 12:53| PSU 8, MICH 12 pic.twitter.com/c2IiXaAC6j

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 6, 2024

Katherine Merrifield of Michigan responded to Abernathy’s goal with one of her own with 12 minutes left. The Wolverines continued on offense, scoring goals 14 and 15 from Burke and Class. O’Neill helped Penn State eventually find the goal again, as she scored her third and fourth goals of the game. O’Neill’s fourth goal of the game was the last for either team, as the game closed at 15-10 in favor of Michigan.

Takeaways

• The Nittany Lions struggled to stop Dyer all game. With an impressive showing in the first half, She continued her successful performance in Saturday’s game throughout the second half. Dyer totaled four goals and two assists on the day.
• Both teams did well on offense in the fourth quarter, with Michigan scoring three times and Penn State scoring four times.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions travel to College Park, Maryland, to take on the Maryland Terrapins at noon on Saturday, April 13. The game can be streamed on BTN+.