No. 9 Penn State men’s lacrosse (4-1) defeated Yale (0-3) 15-9 on Saturday afternoon in New Haven, Connecticut.

The game featured multiple Nittany Lion hat tricks, as Penn State got off to a very hot start. It was able to maintain the lead for the course of the game and march on to victory.

How It Happened

Yale won the opening faceoff to begin the rivalry matchup. After missing the first three shots of the game, the Bulldogs turned it over to Penn State.

A great save by Yale’s Hugh Conrad on Matt Traynor kept the game knotted at zero, five minutes in, but the scoreless tie was short-lived. A goal by Kyle Lehman gave the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead. Just one minute later, a charging Will Peden found the back of the net, as Penn State was rolling in the first quarter. 

Yale was called for a pushing penalty with 7:29 to go in the quarter, as the red-hot Nittany Lion power play got its first opportunity of the game. Building off a successful start, Hunter Aquino scored immediately during the man advantage, as Penn State jumped ahead 3-0.

Looking to get on the board, a shot by Yale went wide right, as it struggled to get shots on net thus far in the game. Once it challenged Jack Fracyon in net, Yale put its first point on the board. Cole Cashion’s first goal of the season brought the score to 3-1.

The Nittany Lions were able to find a quick answer for the Bulldogs, with Jack Aimone extending the Penn State lead to 4-1. Lehman then scored his second goal of the quarter, with an assist by Ryan Dirocco from behind the net. The 5-1 Nittany Lion advantage prompted Yale to call their first timeout of the game.

The Bulldog attempt to harness momentum was unsuccessful, as another goal by Aimone gave Penn State their sixth point. The Nittany Lion rout was on in the first. 

A shot clock violation on Penn State gave Yale some life, as it turned the infraction into points, courtesy of a goal by Johnny Keib. The Bulldogs continued to claw back, as a goal by Carson Kuhl gave the team in white a brief scoring run.

Seven seconds later, Lehman earned a hat trick with his third goal of the game. An assist by a hustling Colby Baldwin helped him achieve the feat. Baldwin was cross-checked on the play, so Penn State would head to the man advantage. 

The Nittany Lions called a timeout with less than 30 seconds remaining in the period and would proceed to head to the second quarter up 7-3.

The second quarter began with five minutes of scoreless play, but Penn State was able to get on the board first in the period thanks to an Aimone goal. This marks the second Penn State hat trick of the afternoon thus far. 

An offsides penalty on the Nittany Lions led to a Yale goal, as Brad Sharp brought the score to 8-4. Penn State answered within a minute of the Bulldog score, as Aquino notched his second goal of the game. Penn State continued to fire on all cylinders, as a fourth goal from Lehman gave it a 10-4 advantage. A cross-check on Yale sent the Nittany Lions to the power play hungry for more.

A foul on Yale led to a shot clock reset for the Nittany Lions, eventually leading to another score. Dirocco’s first of the game put Penn State ahead 11-4. The score would hold going into halftime.

The second half began with a Yale shot clock violation, as Penn State showcased its strong defensive play. A foul on the Nittany Lions gave the Bulldogs the ball right back. Thanks to a turnover, possession once again belonged to Penn State, as Lehman recorded his fifth goal of the game. Penn State took a 12-4 lead four minutes into the half. Nine seconds later, Baldwin notched a goal of his own.

Penn State was called for a pushing penalty, much to the dismay of head coach Jeff Tambroni. Yale was unable to capitalize on the man advantage. A big hit on Yale’s Christian Johnson prompted a pause in the action due to injury concerns. The Bulldogs would head to the two-minute power play.

Yale finally got on the board in the second half, courtesy of a goal by Keib. It was only able to get one in the net with the extended man advantage.

With under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bulldogs would head back to the power play due to a holding call by Penn State’s Luke Scarpello. William Sheehan was able to capitalize, narrowing the Nittany Lion lead. The score was 13-6 heading into the final period.

Yale’s Leo Johnson opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs had their eyes set on a comeback. They would score the next goal as well, with Chris Lyons finding the back of the net. Penn State held a 13-8 lead but the margin was narrowing. 

The Nittany Lions were able to stop the bleeding quickly, as Liam Matthews extended the lead to 14-8. Five minutes passed without any scoring before Kuhl and Dirocco exchanged goals for their respective teams.

Penn State ran out the clock for the final two minutes, securing the 15-9 win.

Takeaways

• Lehman lit up the scoreboard, recording a collegiate career-high five goals. Aimone also recorded a hat trick of his own.
• Aquino played a massive role in Penn State’s win, notching two goals and five assists. The seven-point afternoon proved crucial in helping the Nittany Lions secure a second consecutive victory.
• Fracyon was tremendous in net, boasting a 0.667 save percentage. This tied the senior goalie’s season high in this metric.
• Penn State is two goals away from being an undefeated team this season. The Nittany Lions are red hot and are looking to bring this momentum into a top-10 matchup with Cornell.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to Ithaca, New York, to take on No. 3 Cornell. The opening faceoff is set for noon on Saturday, March 8 and will air on ESPN+.