Penn State men’s lacrosse (10-4, 3-3 Big Ten) fell short to No. 2 Maryland (11-2, 4-2 Big Ten) in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Thursday afternoon.

After scoring only two goals in the first half, Penn State scored four goals in a row and held Maryland to none in the third quarter. The fourth quarter began back and forth before the Terrapins reclaimed their control and scored three to end Penn State’s postseason journey.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening faceoff but quickly turned it over to Maryland, which took advantage to score and take the early lead in the first minute.

Jon King made a quick interception for the Nittany Lions, as the team flooded into the offensive half and faked out the defense, sending the ball back to Kyle Lehman. He sent it to Matt Traynor, whose shot was deflected, bouncing easily to Maryland goalie Logan McNaney. McNaney’s clearance was blocked by King, whose quickshot hit the post, and the Terrapins were able to clear, ending Penn State’s first true offensive effort of the game.

Maryland quickly extended its lead to two in the opening five minutes, sneaking a shot between Penn State netminder Jack Fracyon’s legs.

Brendan Leary grabbed a big interception for the Nittany Lions but couldn’t achieve a quick counterattack as the Terrapins’ pressure forced him to slow down. Penn State slowed down its attack, passing it around before Hunter Aquino broke at goal, sending a backhand pass last-second to Jack Aimone. Aimone slotted it in mid-stride above McNaney’s head to put Penn State on the board with 8:17 to play in the first quarter.

Maryland closed the scoring for the quarter, adding its third with just over three minutes to go. Daniel Kelly slid in right in front of Fracyon, getting a quick shot into the back of the net to end the quarter with Maryland leading, 3-1.

Penn State won the faceoff to start the second quarter, charging at the net with Aquino’s shot going wide. Ethan Long received the ball out wide, whipping the ball into the far side of the net.

The Terrapins took control of the game, adding two more goals to extend their lead to three and forcing Penn State turnovers before calling a timeout. Returning to play, Kelly secured a hat trick on the day to extend the lead, 6-2.

The Nittany Lions won the faceoff to start the second half, and Traynor had a good chance denied before play settled down, and neither team could find a breakthrough. Penn State’s defense and Fracyon came up huge to deny a Terrapins goal and send the play back downfield.

The first goal of the second half finally came with 6:52 to play as Patrick Carragher broke the drought. Traynor ran around the goal, finding Carragher open out wide, who had all the space he needed to slot it in and put the Nittany Lions within three.

They kept the momentum coming as Will Peden received the ball near the thirty, feeding Liam Matthews right outside the circle, who, in one motion, whipped it into the top corner. Luke Walstrum followed with a goal of his own, streaking in front of the net and pushing it in top hand over McNaney’s head to go within one, 6-5.

Traynor tied the game for Penn State with just under two minutes to play. It called a timeout with 11 seconds to go, but could not convert its last chance before the quarter ended.

Maryland grabbed the first goal of the fourth quarter in under two minutes to reclaim the lead through Matthew Keegan. He got the ball near the thirty before bouncing in between Fracyon’s legs.

Penn State went on the attack as Carragher rolled between the defense and got a shot off before being smothered as Maryland picked up a cross-check penalty.

The Nittany Lions were a man-up for three minutes, getting off a flurry of shots that went high and wide, unable to capitalize while on the advantage. However, they didn’t need to wait long to get their goal. Kevin Parnham caused an important turnover, sending the ball back on attack. Lehman played with the ball before a quick give-and-go with Carragher as Lehman sent a rocket into the top near corner to tie the game, 7-7, halfway through the quarter.

The Terrapins called a timeout to regroup and came back with a plan, grabbing two quick goals and the lead. They rolled on their momentum, increasing their lead to three with just over three minutes to play, 10-7.

Penn State went a man up to end the game, adding one final goal while on the advantage from Matthews. The six seconds left in the game weren’t enough for any more play, and Maryland won the semifinal game, 10-8.

Takeaways

• Penn State greatly outshot Maryland, 44-24. However, only 18 of its shots were on goal compared to Maryland’s 15, with the opponent’s product coming out on top. The Nittany Lions may have had more chances, but they struggled greatly with the quality.
• Faceoffs aren’t the Nittany Lions strong suit, but they won that battle 18-22 today. Despite gaining that initial advantage, they could not keep possession long enough to capitalize on this and control the tempo.
• Despite the loss, Fracyon still posted some big saves in what is likely his last Penn State game. His departure would leave a big hole for Penn State to fill next season.

What’s Next?

Penn State is now out of the Big Ten Tournament. It is unlikely to hear its name called for the NCAA Tournament, and its season is likely over.