No. 14 Penn State Men’s Lacrosse Beats Colgate 14-9 In Season Opener

No. 14 Penn State men’s lacrosse (1-0) handled Colgate (0-1) 14-9 at Panzer Stadium in its season opener on Saturday.
The game started slow with both teams struggling in transition. After the first-game jitters were gone, though, Penn State started to grow a lead. Jack Aimone, Hunter Aquino, and Ryan Dirocco all scored their first goal for the Nittany Lions. After a goal with one second left in the first half, Penn State led 10-5 at halftime.
In the second half, Penn State slowed the game down and let Matt Traynor take over. Scoring twice, the attackman added to his first-half hat trick with two beautiful goals. Once the lead was safe, the Nittany Lions did their best to run the clock out, ending the game at 14-9.
How It Happened
Colby Baldwin opened the game for the Nittany Lions at the faceoff x, forcing the Colgate player to go early. Kyle Lehman got on the board first, scoring shortly after with a transition goal to make it 1-0 Penn State.
Penn State’s defense held strong early and with eight minutes on the clock the Nittany Lions got the ball back on offense. The Penn State defense looked ultra-aggressive, bringing a lot of doubles and even a triple.
Jack Fracyon made his first save of the season four minutes later, stuffing a crease dive attempt. As the Nittany Lions cleared it, the first flag of the game was thrown when the Raiders went offside.
On the man up, Aimone found Traynor who buried a step-down shot into the top left to double the lead for Penn State.
Following the goal, up and down play preceded a 30-second Penn State penalty for pushing the goalie. Jack Turner made the most of the man-up opportunity and Kyle Rummel scored off the next faceoff to tie the game at two.
As the first quarter ended locked at two a piece, matching penalties were given to the two teams for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Penn State won the face-off to start the second quarter from a gritty Baldwin ground ball. The Nittany Lions were able to move quickly and found Liam Matthews open on the crease. The sophomore beat the goalie with a behind-the-back shot to make it 3-2.
With 12 minutes left in the half, Colgate got another penalty in transition, this time for an illegal body check to the head. It took Penn State almost the full minute to settle into the power play, but Aquino eventually scored the first goal of his career.
The freshman’s goal seemed to spark the offenses as Colgate scored once and the Nittany Lions scored twice within a minute after Aquino’s goal. Both goals for Penn State were from Traynor, who had a hat trick in the first half. Penn State led 6-3 with ten minutes left in the half.
The next goal came four minutes later, with Colgate taking advantage of the transition. Rory Connor looked like he ran out of an angle, but was able to find the near side corner to make it 6-4.
One minute later Dirocco’s first Penn State goal brought the lead back to three. Baldwin won the next faceoff and Penn State was able to draw yet another Colgate flag. Once again Aquino scored pushing the score to 8-4.
To end the quarter both teams found the back of the net, the Nittany Lions twice including a goal with one second left. The first half ended 10-5 in favor of Penn State.
Two minutes into the second half, Aimone opened the scoring for the second of his Penn State career. The Raiders responded fast, though, keeping a five-goal defecit at 11-6.
The first highlight reel goal of the season came with eight minutes left in the third quarter. Traynor received the ball on the right side of the net and somehow found the bottom left corner with a behind-the-back shot. Less than four minutes later, he scored again for his fifth of the game.
This was the last goal of a low-scoring third quarter which ended 13-6 Penn State.
Finally, another goal came at the 12-minute mark in the fourth quarter. Lehman caught his defender up in the crease, diving low to extend Penn State’s lead to eight. Two minutes later, Colgate made it 14-7 from a man-up opportunity.
Penn State won the faceoff and took almost three minutes off the clock with a long offensive possession. Once the Nittany Lions lost the ball, they got another flag. The Raiders were able to score again cutting the lead to six with five minutes to play.
Three minutes later, Colgate scored again, on a little run. But it was too little too late and Penn State took the 14-9 win.
Takeaways
- The newcomers showed off on offense. The Nittany Lions knew it would need some help from transfers and freshmen and that’s what they got. Aimone, Aquino, and Dirocco scored at least once in their first game with Penn State. It also helped that Traynor, a returner, had five goals.
- The Penn State defense is suffocating. At all times, the Nittany Lions are causing chaos and making it annoying to play against them. Led by Alex Ross, they forced 16 turnovers.
What’s Next?
Penn State faces Villanova next in its first away game of the season, at noon on Sunday, February 9.
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