After facing a three-goal halftime deficit, the No. 9 Penn State women’s lacrosse team went on a rampage, outscoring No. 2 Florida by a 10-2 margin in the second half. The Nittany Lions shocked the Gators, 16-11, at Penn State Lacrosse Field Saturday afternoon.
Penn State (7-3, 2-0 ALC), caught fire, burning the nation’s second-ranked defense. The Lions captured their third straight win and toppled their highest-ranked opponent since downing second-ranked North Carolina, 8-7, in overtime April 6, 2007. The Nittany Lions also improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2005, while snapping Florida’s (13-1, 1-1 ALC) 24-game regular-season win streak.
The Nittany Lions trailed for nearly the entire first half but never let the Gators take more than a three-goal lead. The teams exchanged goals early in the second half to give Florida the 10-7 advantage. That’s when Penn State hit the gas, going on a 6-0 run.
Florida averaged more than 14 goals per game entering Saturday’s contest. In a dominating second half at both ends of the field, the Nittany Lions outshot the Gators 17-3. For the game, Penn State outshot Florida, 29-21, and won 19 draws to the Gators’ 12. Penn State finished 12-for-13 on clears, while Florida went 12-for-14.
Sophomore Tatum Coffey recorded a game-high five points (4g, 1a), while six additional Nittany Lions recorded multi-point games. Freshman Ally Heavens scored a season-high three goals, while classmate Emi Smith made four saves.
