No. 15 Penn State women’s lacrosse 7-9 (5-4 Big Ten) fell 13-8 to No. 9 Johns Hopkins 12-4 (6-2 Big Ten) in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

The Nittany Lions were hoping to bounce back against Johns Hopkins after losing to the Blue Jays in overtime on April 16, but faced the same fate as last week.

How It Happened

Johns Hopkins jumped out to an early lead against Penn State in the opening frame, taking advantage of early turnovers and controlling draws to gain momentum.

Just over a minute into the game, Samantha DiCarlo opened the scoring on a quick transition. Less than a minute after that, Taylor Hoss fed Megan Kielbasa, who buried the ball into the back of the net, doubling Johns Hopkins’ lead.

Penn State worked to fight back with shots on goal from both Erika Ho and Kelly MacKinney, but Johns Hopkins goalie Morgan Giardina stood tall.

The Nittany Lions broke through on a free-position shot from Ho, who buried her 45th goal of the year to make it 2-1. However, after several saves by Penn State goalie Sydney Manning kept the deficit at one, Johns Hopkins eventually capitalized again on an Ava Angello goal. She scored her 53rd goal of the season late in the quarter, giving Johns Hopkins a 3-1 lead heading into the second.

DiCarlo tallied up her second goal of the afternoon less than a minute into the quarter, extending Hopkins’ lead to 4-1 off a setup from Charlotte Smith. Ho responded right back with her second goal of the game, to cut the deficit to two.

Less than a minute later, Payton Wainman found the back of the net herself, bringing the Nittany Lions within one at 4-3 with 11:30 left in the half. Despite shots from Lauren Saltz and MacKinney, the Nittany Lions couldn’t push through. Giardina continued to stand tall in net, recording key saves throughout the period.

With just 18 seconds left before the break, Johns Hopkins’ Campbell Case scored off a feed from Angello, extending the lead back to two and crushing any momentum Penn State had built going into the half. The Blue Jays entered halftime with a 5-3 lead.

The Nittany Lions struck first in the third, with Emma Kelly scoring just 37 seconds in off a feed from Wainman to cut the deficit to 5-4. Less than a minute later, Johns Hopkins’ Lacey Downey responded with a goal off a free position, assisted by Angello.

Brooke Hoss buried a shot with help from MacKinney to bring it to 6–5, but again, the Blue Jays had an answer. Smith extended the lead right back to two with her 16th goal of the season, and later, Megan Kielbasa and Downey each added to the lead in a push that put Johns Hopkins ahead 9-5.

Brooke Long slipped one in with just over two minutes remaining, bringing the score to 9-6, but the offense couldn’t capitalize on a late free position opportunity with two seconds left. Johns Hopkins led 9-6 after three quarters.

The Nittany Lions traded early goals with Hopkins to start the final frame. Maggie Rezza buried a free-position shot, and Delaney Radin followed with her third of the season, cutting the Blue Jays’ lead to just two. 

Hopkins closed the game on a 3–0 run, starting with a goal from Case off an Angello assist. Hoss then added back-to-back goals, including a man-up finish following a yellow card on Ho, which sealed the deal.

A shot clock violation, multiple turnovers, and missed clears smothered any chance of a comeback for Penn State. They were outshot 7–3 in the quarter, as Hopkins dominated time of possession and closed things out with a final score of 13-8.

Takeaways

• While Penn State had its moments, the offense lacked rhythm and struggled to put on pressure. Multiple stretches went by without a single shot on goal, and the Nittany Lions often failed to capitalize on free-position chances.
• Turnovers were a major issue all game long, and Reagan O’Brien set the NCAA record for most caused turnovers in a single game with 10.
• Every time Penn State cut the lead to one, the defense couldn’t get a stop. Hopkins responded with a goal on nearly every possession following a Penn State score, killing any momentum it tried to build up.

What’s Next?

Penn State will hope to continue its postseason play in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is set for Monday, May 5.