No. 11 Penn State women’s lacrosse (11-3, 3-2 Big Ten) surged past Oregon (6-8, 0-6 Big Ten) at Panzer Stadium on Thursday night.  

Penn State wasted no time jumping on Oregon, finding its offensive rhythm early. Kelly MacKinney and Rocquette Allen led Penn State’s offense in another statement conference win. Allen notched five goals while MacKinney had four.

Erika Ho and Delaney Radin also played crucial roles in the beatdown of the Ducks, contributing three scores apiece.

How It Happened 

Oregon wasted no time getting on the board, scoring only 40 seconds into the contest. Lexi Jenkins weaved her way through traffic and found her first goal of the season to put the Ducks up 1-0. Penn State would win the ensuing draw controls and control long possessions. Kelly MacKinney located Rocquette Allen in an open space and Allen netted goal number 33 on the season, knotting the score at one a piece. Only two minutes following her first score, Allen weaved around the backside of the net and notched her second of the game.

In their last game against Ohio State, the Nittany Lions won 18-9, scoring 11 goals in the first half. Even though the focus is now shifted to Oregon, the emphasis on the fast-start game plan seemed to remain the same. At the ten-minute mark in the first quarter, Penn State pushed out to a 3-1 lead with Delaney Radin’s 19th goal of the season. Penn State is currently ranked third amongst the Big Ten in goals per game, with 14.8.

On the other side, Oregon ranks last amongst the Big Ten in goals per game, with 9.8, but they seemed determined to flip the narrative. With 8:50 to go in the first quarter, Emma Ing split the Nittany Lion defense and cut the deficit to just one. While the Oregon offense started strong, the defense was a different story. Similar to the offense though, it has been weak this year, allowing 11.8 goals per game, second worst in the Big Ten.

After an array of passes and one missed shot, Penn State cashed in at the 6:03 mark, ending a minute-long possession. This time, it was Emma Kelly who found her opportunity from long range, burying her shot in the top right corner. The early rhythm was put to a halt and sloppy offense by Penn State opened the door for Oregon. Lexi Jenkins took advantage, scoring her second of the game and ninth of the season.

Back-to-back goals by Payton Wainman helped extend Penn State’s lead to 6-3 with 14:36 remaining in the first half. Wainman is the Nittany Lions’ leading scorer on the season, with 36 goals. Following Wainman, MacKinney also found back-to-back scores, both off free position shots. Traffic chaos on two straight possessions would penalize Oregon, and MacKinney capitalized on both, pushing the lead to 8-3.

Over the next few minutes, Penn State controlled all aspects of the game. Goals by Rocquette Allen and Delaney Radin put the score at 10-3 with 9:14 left in the first half. Oregon struggled to maintain its first-quarter rhythm as the game neared halftime. A nearly ten-minute scoring drought was put to an end by Lilly Fortin at the 7:16 mark, but more work would need to be done as the Ducks still trailed by six. Both teams scored at the end of the first half, and Penn State entered halftime with an 11-5 lead.

Unlike the first half, the second started much slower. Following multiple missed shot attempts and turnovers by each side, the game saw three minutes go by. While the timing was different, the result was the same. Oregon scored the first goal of the second half at the 11:52 mark off a low-angled shot by Anna Simmons. Coming into this matchup Simmons led the Ducks in scoring with 19 goals on the season. The Nittany Lions countered minutes later with a score by Kelly MacKinney, working off an assist from Erika Ho.

Ho’s involvement in the second half wouldn’t end with assists, as she would get involved with the scoring. Ho netted back-to-back goals, with one coming in a man-up opportunity. She helped expand the Penn State lead to eight with 5:36 to go in the third. An Oregon goal by Avery Young midway through the third helped cut into the large deficit, but ultimately Penn State proved too powerful.

Nittany Lion scores by MacKinney, Allen, and Ho from various spots on the field helped provide Penn State with a 17-7 lead at the 14:12 point in the fourth. Scores by Oregon’s Lexi Jenkins and Emma Ing helped get the Ducks back on the board, but with time winding down in the fourth, it ultimately proved to be too little too late. Following the minor offensive success, the Ducks defense again showed its inconsistencies. Rocquette Allen continued her scoring tear, collecting her fifth goal of the game, extending the Penn State lead to 18-9 with 6:54 to play. Emma Kelly added a final goal and helped close out the 19-9 Penn State victory.

Takeaways

• Penn State is thriving off hot starts and has 37 total goals scored in its last two games. While the competition has not been the strongest, that momentum will be crucial with No. 4 Northwestern up next.
• Rocquette Allen was the MVP of the game from start to finish. Coming into this game, the freshmen ranked second on the team in goals with 32. She continued her impressive season with five scores against Oregon.
• Kelly MacKinney proved once again that she is a top-notch offensive weapon. She tallied her third straight game with at least three goals, playing a key role in the deflating of the Ducks.

What’s Next?  

Penn State will quickly turn its attention towards Northwestern in another home matchup at Panzer Stadium on Sunday, April 12, at 11 a.m.