No. 25 Penn State women’s lacrosse (7-8, 5-3 Big Ten) lost to No. 8 Johns Hopkins (11-4, 5-2 Big Ten) 12-11 in overtime at Homewood Field on Wednesday night.

The two sides played a staunch overtime thriller despite the Nittany Lions leading 10-7 early in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions couldn’t get the job done after regulation, dropping their five-game win streak heading into the Big Ten Tournament.

How It Happened

Emma Kelly started off the game with her 19th goal of the season to put Penn State up 1-0 within a minute.

EMMA KELLY OPENS THE SCORING AFTER ONLY ONE MINUTE!!!!

1Q 14:00 | 1-0, Penn State#StickWithUs pic.twitter.com/rZf0Fgf51K

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 16, 2025

Kelly drove towards the net again as Penn State secured a power play, but her shot just missed on the far side.

Johns Hopkins’ Megan Kielbasa tied the game up at one after scoring with 8:25 left in the first quarter. Payton Wainman immediately responded with a goal off a free position shot, shooting Penn State right back into the lead.

Elise Smigiel drew a green card inside the final five minutes of the first frame, putting Johns Hopkins on the power play. The Blue Jays capitalized on it, tying the game once more on a Laurel Gonzalez goal.

Gonzalez got another wide-open look in a scoring position, but she couldn’t control the ball down low.

Erika Ho netted her 41st goal of the season for Penn State to open the second quarter. She then set up Kelly MacKinney for another score to put the Nittany Lions up 4-2 within the first two minutes of the second frame.

TRANSITION GOAL

2Q 13:08 | 4-2, Penn State#StickWithUs pic.twitter.com/zx5TKUenWa

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 16, 2025

Johns Hopkins’ Campbell Case immediately responded with a goal of her own to pull the Blue Jays within one. Kielbasa tried a behind-the-back shot, but the ball hit the crossbar.

Johns Hopkins won a free position attempt, but Sydney Manning stretched for an acrobatic save to keep Penn State in front.

Ho netted another goal from her knees after splitting two defenders with just under four minutes left in the half.

DUH-NUH-NUH, DUH-NUH-NUH

2Q 3:48 | 5-3, Penn State#StickWithUs | #SCTopTen pic.twitter.com/ghLaCn9SV0

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 16, 2025

Both teams exchanged one more goal late in the first half to make it a 6-4 ballgame going into the break.

The Blue Jays drew first blood early in the second half to pull within one. However, Ho completed a hat-trick with a bounce-shot goal through contact to make it 7-5. She scored again on a free-position shot after a Johns Hopkins goal, retaining Penn State’s two-goal lead at 8-6.

Ava Angello brought it back to a one-goal ballgame after Manning left the net to try and defend. She didn’t get back to the net in time, allowing Angello to squeeze the ball in.

However, Penn State immediately responded behind an Ellie Wisch goal with six seconds remaining in the third quarter. The Nittany Lions led 9-7 going into the final frame.

Wisch makes sure we get the last word in the third!!!

3Q 0:06 | 9-7, Penn State#StickWithUs pic.twitter.com/P9PPLYLYZ5

— Penn State Women’s Lacrosse (@PennStateWLAX) April 16, 2025

Brooke Hoss widened the gap to three with a goal to start the fourth quarter, pushing Penn State’s lead to 10-7. Hoss’ younger sister, Taylor Hoss, scored for Johns Hopkins in response to the goal. Penn State led 10-8 with 12:35 remaining in the match.

Blue Jay Samantha DiCarlo then scored, forcing Penn State to call a timeout as Johns Hopkins came within one.

Johns Hopkins tied it up 10 behind Charlotte Smith’s fourth quarter goal with 10:35 remaining in the game. The Blue Jays held all the momentum, highlighted by their six-straight draw wins going into the final 10 minutes.

Hoss snuck a ball into the near post to reclaim the lead for the Nittany Lions with just over seven minutes remaining. Taylor Hoss responded to her sister again, netting the game-tying goal as the clock winded under three minutes. The game remained knotted for the remainder of regulation, sending it to overtime.

Lacey Downey scored in overtime to give Johns Hopkins the win.

Takeaways

• Penn State’s speed at the beginning of each quarter allowed it to set the tone early. The Nittany Lions scored three goals combined across the first two minutes of the first and second quarters, allowing them to focus on keeping momentum rather than creating it.
• Despite the loss, Erika Ho stole the show at Homewood Field. She dominated through the entire game and ended her night with four goals and five total points. On the season, she finished with 44 goals and 53 points.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions head to the Big Ten Tournament in College Park, Maryland. Seeding is yet to be determined, but quarterfinal play is slated for Wednesday, April 23.