Penn State Women’s Lacrosse Downs Drexel

No. 6 Penn State women’s lacrosse (11-1, 2-0 Big Ten) earned a decisive 15-6 win over unranked Drexel (4-5) on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

Senior Steph Lazo led all scorers with seven points, including four goals and three assists, and sophomore Madison Carter recorded a hat-trick and two assists. Senior goalie Cat Rainone made six saves in the winning effort.

How It Happened

Drexel managed to keep the Nittany Lions’ potent offense at bay at the start of today’s game until senior Abby Smucker opened the scoring 6:04 into the game. Smucker’s 13th goal of the season opened the floodgates for her team. Two goals from Lazo, one from sophomore Kayla Brisolari, and one from senior Shelby Wells gave Missy Doherty’s squad a 5-0 lead with 17:12 left in the first half.

Drexel finally managed to stop the bleeding with a goal from Caroline Cummings, but Lazo and Wells responded with goals of their own to put the Lions up by six goals. Lazo’s 35th goal of the season completed her third hat trick in the last four games.

After Wells’s 7th goal of the season, the two teams traded goals for a short period of time. Drexel responded with their second goal of the day, but freshman Kristin Roberto countered that with her fifth of the season to restore the Lions’ six-goal lead.

After Drexel pulled the score back to 9-3, four unanswered goals — two from Carter, one from Smucker, and one from Lazo — allowed the Lions to take a 12-3 lead into halftime. Carter, who was last week’s Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, was held without a goal for the first 21:09 of Wednesday’s game, but adding two assists in that time. Her goal marked her 100th career point for the Nittany Lions, a milestone she reached in just 33 career games.

The second half started slowly, with both team kept off the scoresheet for the first 10 minutes of the period. Senior goalie Cat Rainone, last week’s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, made a save on a free-position shot with 23:02 remaining in the half, denying the Dragons a goal on their biggest chance of the half.

Carter finally opened the scoring 11:26 into the half in the second half with her 42nd goal of the season to extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to 10 goals. The goal completed her hat trick, and Steph Lazo’s assist on the goal marked her third of the game and 30th of the season.

After Drexel scored their fourth goal of the game, junior Katie O’Donnell scored her first goal of the day and 32nd of the season to push the Lions’ lead back to 10 goals. Drexel countered that with a goal of its own, but Penn State would go on to win by a final score of 15-6.

Player Of The Game

Madison Carter | Sophomore | Attacker/Midfielder

Although Steph Lazo led all scorers today with four goals and three assists, Player of the Game honors have to go to the sophomore, who reached the 100-point milestone with her first goal of Wednesday’s game. Her three goals on the day give her 43 on the season, further establishing her position as the team’s top goal scorer.

What’s Next

After three-straight away games, the Nittany Lions will return to the Penn State Lacrosse Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. for a game against Big Ten rivals Ohio State.