No. 7 Penn State men’s lacrosse (9-3, 3-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 19 Rutgers (6-8, 2-3 Big Ten) 12-4 at Panzer Stadium on Wednesday night.

A fast start fueled by a six-goal first quarter gave the Nittany Lions all the momentum they needed to take control early and never look back.

How It Happened

Rutgers’ Matthew Paolatto won the opening faceoff, but it was Penn State that quickly took control. Kyle Lehman and Luke Walstrum each found the back of the net early, while Colby Baldwin added a goal of his own and helped Penn State jump out in front.

Rutgers responded with goals from Ryan Splaine, Shane Murphy, and Colin Kurdyla, but struggled to gain momentum against a Penn State defense that constantly forced turnovers and strong saves from goalie Jack Fracyon.

Hunter Aquino, Matt Traynor, and Jack Aimone also added goals for the Nittany Lions, who closed the half on a 4-0 run. Lehman’s second goal, assisted by Aquino, sparked the late spree, and Traynor buried a shot with 15 seconds left in the quarter to give Penn State all the momentum heading into the break.

Fracyon opened the scoring in the second quarter in a rare fashion, going coast to coast and ripping in the first goal of his collegiate career.

Just over a minute later, Aquino extended the lead to five with his 15th goal of the season. Brendan Leary got in on the action midway through the quarter, finishing off a pass from Kevin Parnham, before Ethan Long buried a shot off an assist from Will Peden to make it 10-3 at halftime.

The Nittany Lions created some chances of their own, including shots from Lehman, Long, and Traynor, but couldn’t convert, with one attempt hitting the post and several others sailing wide.

Both teams traded turnovers and missed clears throughout the quarter, and a late man-up opportunity for Penn State came up empty. Fracyon made another key save late in the frame to keep Rutgers off the board, and the quarter ended with no goals scored on either side. Penn State led Rutgers 10-3 heading into the fourth.

Rutgers finally broke through early in the fourth quarter with a goal from Colin Zeller, but it wasn’t enough to slow down Penn State’s momentum.

The Nittany Lions quickly responded with Walstrum’s second goal of the night, assisted by Lehman, to push the lead back to seven. Liam Matthews added one more with 1:20 left to officially put the game away, giving Penn State its first goal since the second quarter and sealing the win.

Fracyon finished with double-digit saves and anchored a defense that held Rutgers to just one goal in the second half.

Takeaways

• Fracyon’s first career goal in the second quarter fired up the team and sealed off a two-way performance from the Penn State goalie.
• Penn State’s defense held Rutgers to just one goal over the final 45 minutes.
• Walstrum led the way on offense with two goals, including a fourth-quarter strike that halted any chance of a Rutgers comeback.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will be off until Saturday, April 26, when they will play in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at Panzer Stadium. The opponent and time are to be determined, and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.