No. 4 Penn State men’s lacrosse (6-1) commanded Robert Morris (3-4) in a 22-8 win at Panzer Stadium Wednesday afternoon.

In their Military Appreciation Game, the Nittany Lions outscored the Colonials 16-4 in the final three quarters and were led by four goals from Ethan Long and three apiece from Luke Walstrum and Liam Matthews.

How It Happened

Colby Baldwin won the opening faceoff for Penn State, and just 12 seconds into the game, Kyle Aldridge bounced a shot past Robert Morris goalie Nate Fechter and into the back of the net.

Less than three minutes later, Brendan Cina jabbed toward the left side of the field and found Calum Brennan, who quickly scored to put the Colonials on the board and even it at 1-1.

Long, who scored the overtime game-winner against then-No. 3 Cornell on Saturday, and Walstrum then each scored a goal in the span of 12 seconds, and just over five minutes into the game, the Nittany Lions extended their lead to two.

A Jack Aimone turnover set up Robert Morris’ offense, and Will MacLeod cashed in with a goal. Then, just 36 seconds later, a David Burr rebound and pass gave Brennan an open shot and goal, tying the game at 3-3 halfway through the first quarter.

Standing in front of the net, Bobby Reaume received a pass and beat Jack Fracyon to give Robert Morris its first lead of the day.

After making a move from right to left, Aimone fired a low shot and scored to tie the game back up, while on the ensuing possession, Fechter made his first save of the afternoon on an Alex Ross shot on goal.

With 24 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Brendan Leary scored while falling to the turf to retake the lead for Penn State. Then, with two seconds left, Long ripped a low-to-high shot into the net for his second of the game, and the blue and white led 6-4 after a high-scoring first quarter.

Shortly after saving Penn State’s possession with a ground ball pickup, Walstrum looped around the net and dove toward the net while releasing a shot, and he scored for the second time. Kris Henning followed it up less than two minutes later by netting his first career goal, making it 8-4 Penn State.

Aimone assisted Long for another Nittany Lion goal, Long’s third of the game, just under eight minutes before halftime, and Penn State had scored six unanswered to go up by five.

The lead became 10-4 when Will Peden scored an unassisted goal after setting up the offense. Then, Aimone zipped a shot from the left side past Fechter and into the twine to take a seven-goal advantage with 2:17 left in the half.

Exactly a minute later, Garrett Glatz scored the first goal of his career off an assist from Walstrum, while Penn State couldn’t convert on a man-up opportunity to close out the first half and headed to the locker room up 12-4.

The second half opened with a Fechter save, and after a successful clear by Robert Morris, Kean Moon scored an unassisted goal. However, Matthews answered with a goal from just outside the crease to quickly extend the lead back to eight.

Brennan scored his third goal on three shots when he cut to the cage and took in a pass from Reaume before dropping it past Fracyon for a goal. The Nittany Lions once again had the response, as Jon King beat Fechter to the left post for his first goal of the season.

With 5:12 to go in the third quarter, Patrick Carragher also netted his first of the year off Walstrum’s second assist of the game. Star freshman Hunter Aquino also powered in a shot a couple of minutes later to make it a 10-goal lead, the largest of the game.

Taking in a ball reversal behind the net, Walstrum fired a right-handed shot and scored to cap off a hat-trick and bring his point total to five on the day just before the third quarter concluded.

Luke Prezioso opened the fourth with a goal for the Colonials, while Matthews scored twice more in the ensuing 1:07. Nils Barry also got in the goal column, his first in the last three seasons, for Penn State’s 20th of the game.

Moon found Joel McCormick on the doorstep for a goal that brought Robert Morris back within 12, but Barry answered 43 seconds later.

Another Penn Stater scored their first career goal, as Joe Calandrino scored with 3:41 remaining to make it 22-8. The Nittany Lions then ran off the remainder of the clock and left with a 14-goal victory.

Takeaways

• After going 17-for-26 on faceoffs against Yale and earning the Big Ten Specialist of the Week Award, Colby Baldwin wasn’t as productive today.
• Playing without star Matt Traynor, Penn State showed off its depth, as many new Nittany Lions found the back of the net.
• The Nittany Lion offense was efficient in this win, cashing in on more than half of its shots on goal.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be off until Sunday, March 23, when they face Ohio State for their Big Ten opener at 7 p.m. at Panzer Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.