Penn State women’s lacrosse (7-0) dominated Colgate (2-3) 20-8 in a strong offensive showing.

Delaney Radin provided eight assists in the win, tying a record.

How It Happened

Colgate won the draw and immediately put pressure on the Nittany Lions. It took less than a minute for Colgate to find the back of the net, as the ball ricocheted off the right post and in.

Emma Kelly won the next faceoff for Penn State and started the attack, and quickly earned a free position shot. Delaney Radin launched a bounce shot into the ground, which rifled past the goalkeeper to equalize with 13:39 remaining.

Colgate won possession and immediately rifled a shot off the right post, sending both teams scrambling to recover the rebound. When the Nittany Lions got possession, a counterattack ensued, which saw Payton Wainman score her 17th goal of the season.

Almost a minute later, a strong defensive stand launched another counterattack. The Colgate defense was too slow to get back on defense, as Wainman stood solo in front of the net. A calm, collected finish into the back of the next saw her score her second goal.

Penn State survived a shot that whistled past the crossbar and won possession back after losing it in the faceoff. The Nittany Lions were content in passing the ball around the opposition’s goal, waiting for a crease to open. When it finally did, Delaney Radlin found Kelly MacKinney back post for an easy finish. Halfway through the 1st quarter, MacKinney continued her excellent form, sending a shot that bounced off the crossbar and almost went in.

With five minutes remaining in the first,  Anna Salerno found the bottom right corner for her eighth goal of the season. Penn State won possession off the following faceoff, where MacKinney found the back of the net unassisted yet again.

Colgate’s Lucy Lederman responded by scoring off the faceoff to make the score 6-2, ending the unanswered goal run. Penn State quickly dismantled any string of goals for Colgate, as a beautiful run by Wainman ensured her 3rd goal of the match.

An illegal use of the stick penalty for a Colgate player allowed Penn State to take control of the midfield. A string of great passes found a wide-open MacKinney for her third goal of the game. After going up 8-2, Penn State was comfortable enough to hunker down on defense for the remaining minute.

Penn State started the second quarter off strong. A solo run straight through the Raiders’ defense earned Salerno her second goal of the day. Penn State was then unable to capitalize on two free possession shots following a use of the stick call. A third missed free-throw shot came with nine minutes to go in the second quarter.

Penn State’s defense continued to stand strong. Colgate went on many long, calculated attacks where the defense eventually forced a turnover or bad shot. Goalkeeper Sydney Manning made two fantastic stops within minutes of each other.

Inspired by the many stops of their defense, Penn State found the back of the net next as MacKinney finished off a beautiful team goal.

With five minutes remaining, it was very clear that fatigue was starting to come into play for the Raiders. Penn State took advantage of the empty midfield on the counterattack. A string of passes found Rocquette Allen behind the net. Spinning around a defender, she calmly tucked the ball into the bottom corner for her 19th goal of the season.

With three and a half minutes on the clock, MacKinney found Maddie Greco splitting through the defense. Greco received the ball and lost balance, sending a beautiful shot towards the net as she hit the ground. Hannah Hoyt got in on the scoring a minute later, prompting Colgate to use their first time out with 1:41 remaining.

With 50 seconds remaining, the Raiders took advantage of another illegal use of stick call for Penn State. Aubrey McMahon scored the third goal for Colgate, putting them down ten as the second quarter came to a close.

The second half started just as you’d expect, another Penn State goal. Multiple players showed their physicality and strength during the build-up by running over defenders. MacKinney found Allen for her 20th goal of the season. Colgate responded with fight, as a bounce shot flew over Manning’s head to make it 14-4.

With five minutes remaining, a shove from a Colgate defender rewarded Penn State a free position attempt. Salerno took the opportunity and fired home her 10th goal of the season. Colgate called a timeout to figure out a way to get back in the game.

Colgate took advantage of being a man-up following a Penn State yellow card. McMahon scored her second goal of the day, assisted by Katie Welsh, with three minutes remaining. The Raiders’ run of good form continued as they rifled a shot that hit the crossbar. The Penn State defense stood strong and withstood waves of attack without giving up a shot attempt. The third quarter ended 15-5 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

Colgate’s Charley Drouin started the fourth period with a goal in the first minute. A free position opportunity came a minute later for Penn State, which Salerno converted.

Two back-to-back goals followed minutes later as the Nittany Lions took advantage of two Colgate green cards. Goals by Erika Ho and Wainman saw Penn State triple Colgate’s goal tally at 18 to 6.

With eight minutes to go, Porter Rhoades got her second goal of the season. A Colgate timeout to review strategy quickly followed.

It was very clear to see the difference in physicality between the two teams. Penn State’s hard running and quick ball movement seemed to tire out the Colgate defenders. The team constantly failed to get back on defense quickly enough. It never had a solution to Penn State’s speed on the outside, looking more and more defeated as each wave attack went on.

Throughout the fourth period, Manning’s talent was on display. The junior made a stunning save off a Colgate free-position shot. She was later subbed out for a well-deserved break. Emily Bette entered the game and was immediately faced with a Colgate free position shot. Bette smoothly denied the chance, and the home crowd responded with cheers.

Anna Mellinger scored an impressive goal with four minutes remaining. It was the freshman’s first collegiate goal and one to remember as the home bench cheered her name.

McMahon found herself on the score sheet for Colgate yet again, her third of the game at 3:32 in the fourth quarter. Grace Delnegro’s impressive display of speed earned her first goal of the season. The two goals energized Colgate, controlling possession and firing shots as the clock slowly ran towards zero.

Penn State beat Colgate 20-8 to earn its seventh win in a row.

Takeaways

• Penn State set the tone early once again. Jumping out to a commanding lead in the first is becoming a common theme for Penn State this season.
• Delaney Radin provided eight assists in the win. This ties a Penn State women’s lacrosse record that has stood since 1985.
• Sydney Manning ended the match with eight saves. Emily Bette entered the game late in the fourth and recorded two saves for the Nittany Lions.
• Penn State continues its amazing play as Big Ten play commences one week from today.

What’s Next?

Penn State travels across the country to face off against San Diego State at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 12.