Preseason No. 7-ranked Penn State men’s lacrosse (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) routed Colgate (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) with an 18-14 victory in the season opener at Holuba Hall Sunday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions controlled most of the game as they exploded into a 3-0 lead to open play. Hunter Aquino led the attack with five goals in the season opener, and another pair of Nittany Lions, Kyle Lehman and Michael Faraone, completed a hat trick.

How It Happened

Colby Baldwin won the opening faceoff for Penn State with a shovel pass to Jon King. Their offensive front started strong as Brendan Leary cut across the crease, where Jack Iannantuono found him to get the scoring started. Following a Colgate turnover, Hunter Aquino tagged another goal on for the Nittany Lions at the 12:29 mark.

Colgate earned an extra-man opportunity at 11:13, but Penn State’s defensive poles held strong, and the Raiders couldn’t convert.

Colgate started their first solid offensive possession after their goalie, Andrew Lerhman, made a save, but a mishandled pass and physical defense drained their shot clock.

Going the other way, Penn State’s Patrick Carragher skipped a shot into Lehrman, but the keeper made a split-leg block, which rebounded back to the Nittany Lions. Carragher didn’t skip his second attempt and went top-net for Penn State’s third goal with 6:29 remaining in the first.

Colgate struggled to clear and set up their offense after consecutive Penn State offensive possessions, leading to a called timeout to recuperate.

Coming out of timeout, the Raiders had their first successful trips to the offensive end. Emmet Crotty swung around the net to the right side and sank his shot to the opposite top corner. The Raiders won the following faceoff, and Hunter Drouin rebounded a shot that rang off the post, creating an easy shot past Penn State’s Preston Hawkins in the final minute of the frame.

Penn State won the faceoff, but it was Colgate who struck first in the second frame. Quinn Spillett knotted up the contest at three apiece just two minutes into the quarter. They won the faceoff again, but the Raiders went in transition, and Andy Croddick fired in a goal for the lead.

Colgate struck again for the third time in as many minutes when Freddy Fowler sniped the bottom corner of the net. Their lead-extending goal forced Penn State to call a timeout. Hayes Schreiner took over in the net for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State wasted no time getting their goals back as Faraone cut across the left of the circle for their fourth, and Aquino followed suit for his second and the team’s fifth. At 10:36, Andrew Beard recaptured the lead, and Faraone extended it with his second score of the game.

Colgate ceased the momentum by winning the faceoff and scored in an extra-man opportunity with nine minutes in the frame. Kyle Lehman picked it back up for the Nittany Lions and netted his first goal with a jump shot skipped by Lehrman. Schreiner got his first save on the other end, but Colgate earned an extra-man opportunity on Joe Calandrino’s slashing penalty. They did not convert and gave Schreiner plenty of practice with four shot attempts within the minute penalty.

Penn State cleared, and Ryan Dirocco extended the lead to three with 4:30 remaining in the half. After another faceoff win, Penn State got an extra-man opportunity, but a mishandled pass allowed Colgate to cut the lead to two in transition.

Baldwin won his fifth faceoff, which started a lengthy possession by Penn State that was capped off by Faraone’s third goal of the game and brought the lead back to three with a minute remaining in the half.

With time dwindling in the first half, Spillett converted an extra-man opportunity for Colgate, and Penn State’s lead fell to two.

The second half of Sunday’s action opened with a faceoff win by Baldwin, yet it was Colgate that led the first successful offensive trip. Casey Quinson ripped his shot low to high to make it a one-score game.

Penn State returned the favor off a failed clear attempt, and Iannantuono got a one-on-one attempt with Lehrman. Then, Iannantuona assisted Robertson, and Penn State extended their lead to 12-9.

Five minutes into the half, Carragher scored Penn State’s third goal, where they had their largest lead of the game at four.

Colgate landed a few extra-man opportunities in the following minutes, which allowed Quinson, who was cross-checked mid-jump, to sink his shot top-right.

Lehman brought the lead back to four on the other end and earned his second goal in Sunday’s contest. Penn State had a 14-10 lead with six minutes left in the third.

Quinson completed his hat trick with an unassisted drive to the net, bringing Colgate within three scores. Penn State responded with a well-choreographed attack that opened up Luke Walstrum for his first goal. Aquino got the third hat trick between the two teams, and Penn State led by five.

Sam Erickson scored the first pole-goal of the contest as time expired in the frame; Penn State leads 16-12.

Lehrman kept his team in the game with a back-bending save to open the final quarter. The Raiders didn’t capitalize on their extensive attack, and their shot clock expired before they could penetrate Penn State’s defense.

The Nittany Lions led another strong defensive stand, which resulted in Aquino’s fourth goal of the game due to a brilliant hesitation that cleared his only defender.

Fowler got one back for Colgate with nine minutes left in the game, and Lehrman made saves in three consecutive saves to keep Penn State from sealing the game. The visitors took a timeout, and Andrew Heubeck scored for them shortly after, bringing the deficit to three.

However, it wouldn’t last long. Lehman scored his third goal, and the Nittany Lions led by four with just under two minutes to play. They continued to drain the clock on offense, and time expired without another shot recorded.

Takeaways

• Reid Gillis and Colby Baldwin combined for 24 faceoff wins in 35 taken, giving Penn State plenty of scoring opportunities.
• Hunter Aquino netted five goals and earned an assist during Sunday’s contest.
• Red-shirt freshman Hayes Schreiner took over goalkeeping duties early in the second quarter and made four saves.

What’s Next?

Penn State will take on the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, February 7, at 1 p.m. The game is scheduled to take place at Panzer Stadium, but the weather may move it to Holuba Hall. The game will be streamed on Big10+.