No. 21 Penn State women’s lacrosse (12-5, 4-4 Big Ten) defeated No. 22 Rutgers (10-7, 4-4 Big Ten) after a strong offensive performance.

The defense struggled, forcing only seven turnovers and struggling with some clears early in the game. Sydney Manning was impressive in goal, making crucial saves.

Erika Ho had six goals today in her final regular-season game. She led the offense to 18 goals and a win against Rutgers.

How It Happened

Rutgers won the opening draw of the game. The team couldn’t find a good shot opportunity and turned the ball over. Penn State had a sloppy clear attempt and gave the ball back to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers stormed downfield to find an open player in front of the crease to score the first goal of the game. Penn State went down 1-0 with 12:17 left in the first quarter.

On Penn State’s next possession, Erika Ho drove the middle for a shot on the side of the goal to score. Rutgers won the next draw, but after a turnover, Roquette Allen drove to the goal to score. She put Penn State in the lead with 11:20 left in the quarter.

Draw controls were an early problem for Penn State, but its defense forced some turnovers to get time on offense. On Penn State’s next drive, the team drew a yellow card and went man-down for two minutes. Rutgers took advantage and scored with 8:18 left in the first to tie the game.

Penn State looked sloppy on clears, going 2-4 early into the game. The team also had issues with turnovers and was rushing the offense. Ho managed to dodge a defender and bounced the ball into the goal to score her second of the day. She became the first player to score multiple goals, and Penn State went up 3-2 with 5:39 left in the first.

Penn State won the next draw but caused an offensive foul. Rutgers drove downfield, and after a few nice passes, the Scarlet Knights cut to the middle of the field to score with 4:40 left in the quarter. Shortly after, Rutgers won another draw and cut to the crease to score again. The Scarlet Knights took the lead with 4:18 left in the first.

Rutgers won the next draw and had a free position shot opportunity, but Sydney Manning made a solid save to give Penn State the ball. Kelly MacKinney had a free position shot and scored after a snipe to the top shelf. The game was tied 4-4 with 1:57 left in the first.

After Penn State’s defense forced a turnover, Payton Wainman jumped to catch a high ball and scored an open shot in front of the goal. Penn State took the lead with 1:07 left in the quarter.

The first quarter ended 5-4 with Penn State in the lead. Draw controls and clears were an early struggle for the team, but the offense stepped up with five goals to take the lead.

Rutgers won the first draw of the second quarter and scored off a free position shot shortly after. Rutgers won another draw, but Manning had a nice save on the Scarlet Knight’s next shot.

The teams went back and forth on the next few possessions. Penn State caused a couple of turnovers and didn’t look too composed on offense. Manning continued to step up on defense for the Nittany Lions, stopping open goals for Rutgers.

Penn State eventually went man-up on offense and had a free position shot opportunity. The attempt was unsuccessful, but the ball remained with the Nittany Lions. Delaney Radin powered her way through defenders and scored with 5:38 left in the half. She had a great bounce shot in traffic to score the first goal of the second quarter for Penn State.

Less than a minute later, Rutgers bounced back with a goal with 4:52 left in the half. A swift cut to the crease led to an easy shot for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers then had a free position shot on its next drive, but a green card was issued, which gave Penn State the ball. Ho then pump-faked a defender and scored with 1:51 left in the half.

Penn State took a 7-6 lead over the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers drew another green card and gave Penn State another man-up opportunity. Wainman found herself open in front of the net for a quick catch-and-shoot goal. Penn State took a two-goal lead with 1:12 left in the first.

Late into the second quarter, Rutgers went man-up and scored on a free position shot with 34 seconds left in the half.

The first half ended 8-7, with Penn State leading. The team’s offense stayed strong through the half, and Ho stepped up with three goals. But the defense needed to cover the crease and stop drawing penalties to allow free-position shots.

Rutgers won the opening draw of the second half. After a few missed shots, the team eventually found an open shot to score with 12:59 left in the third. The Scarlet Knights tied the game early in the quarter.

Penn State won the next draw control and took control of the offense. Wainman made an impressive catch in traffic and scored on a diving shot attempt. She scored her third goal of the day with 12:24 left in the third. She and Ho both had a hat trick.

Penn State’s defense continued to show its struggles. Rutgers dodged past Penn State and scored another easy shot right in front of the goal. The Scarlet Knights won the next draw, but drew a green card. Ho pump-faked two defenders and drove right to the net to put Penn State back in the lead.

The Scarlet Knights drew another green card after a draw control win, and Roquette Allen drove around for a top-shelf goal with 8:22 left in the third. Penn State won the next draw control and had a free position shot, where Ho scored another goal. She ripped the ball immediately into the top of the net.

Shortly after, Anna Salerno sprinted to the crease on a transition play for a quick goal. Less than 30 seconds later, Ho scored her sixth of the day and put Penn State up five goals over Rutgers. On the Scarlet Knights’ next possession, they turned the ball over. Allen did a fake spin move around a defender to score another goal for the Nittany Lions. After six straight goals for Penn State, it went up 15-9 with 4:55 left in the third quarter.

Penn State won the next draw but turned the ball over. Rutgers responded with a goal after dodging two defenders. But shortly after, Salerno scored her second of the day by driving to the side for a top-shelf shot on an angle.

Rutgers scored two more goals to end the quarter. Alex Popham had her third of the day with 37 seconds left.

The third quarter ended 16-12.

MacKinney started the fourth quarter with a goal with 14:34 left in the game. Rutgers then drew a green card on the next possession, but Penn State was unsuccessful in scoring. The Nittany Lions then picked up a yellow card, giving Rutgers a big chance to score.

Rutgers scored another goal around the crease, stepping around a defender to score. Penn State went man up on its next possession, and MacKinney scored her third goal on an open shot. The Nittany Lions went up 18-13 with 7:36 left in the game.

However, the Scarlet Knights responded by jumping over a defender to score and put the team back within four. Rutgers had another chance to score, but a shot clock violation gave Penn State the ball.

Penn State’s offense started to slow down to kill time on the clock. Rutgers started to apply heavy pressure and scored with 23 seconds left, but it wasn’t enough to come back.

Penn State won 18-15.

Takeaways

• Erika Ho had a huge day on offense, finishing with six goals. She finished her final regular season strong ahead of the Big Ten Tournament.
• Four players scored hat tricks for Penn State today: Rocquette Allen, Kelly MacKinney, Ho, and Payton Wainman.
• The defense allowed 15 goals and only forced seven turnovers. There were early problems with clears and penalties, but the team was strong enough to pull ahead. Manning had 11 saves and played a key role in stopping Rutgers from scoring open shots.
• Penn State beat another ranked opponent in its final regular-season game. After a bit of recent struggle in Big Ten matchups, the Nittany Lions finished strong against Rutgers.

What’s Next?

Penn State travels to Ann Arbor to play its first Big Ten Tournament game on Wednesday, April 22, at UM Lacrosse Stadium. The time and opponent are TBA.