No. 5 Penn State men’s lacrosse (12-4, 3-2 Big Ten) stormed back from a six-goal deficit to defeat Notre Dame (9-5, 3-1 ACC) 14-12 on Sunday in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
Eight unanswered goals in the second half propelled Penn State over the two-time defending champions, led by six goals from Matt Traynor and three apiece from Kyle Lehman and Ethan Long.
How It Happened
Reid Gillis won the opening faceoff for Penn State, and just 58 seconds into the game, Matt Traynor ripped a shot past Notre Dame goalie Thomas Ricciardell to give Penn State an early lead.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the quarter, Traynor’s shot was stopped by Ricciardell, but Hunter Aquino was there to bury the rebound shot, extending the Nittany Lions’ early lead to two.
The Irish responded with two goals of their own on their next two possession, with goals coming off the stick of Will Maheras and Jalen Seymour, evening the score at two.
Chris Kavanagh added to the scoring for the Fighting Irish, giving Notre Dame its first lead of the afternoon before the end of the first quarter. Fracyon ended the frame with six saves, in a good showing.
Starting the second quarter, Ethan Long picked up a ground ball and finished through a penalty for a Nittany Lion goal. Penn State gained possession after Notre Dame’s second offsides of the half, but was unable to capitalize on the turnover.
Luke Miller fed Jake Taylor a ball just outside the circle, giving Fracyon no chance to make a save, giving Notre Dame a 4-3 lead. Less than a minute later, Aquino’s pass was picked off by Shawn Lyght, leading to Kavanagh’s second goal of the quarter.
Forty-two seconds after Kavanagh’s goal, Will Angrick notched his 15th goal of the season for the Fighting Irish, extending the lead to 6-3. Devon McLane and Taylor capped off an 8-1 run for Notre Dame with goals of their own, stunning the Nittany Lions’ defense.
Penn State controlled play to start the second half. Traynor scored his second and third goals of the afternoon, bringing the Nittany Lions within three. Notre Dame won the draw, and Luke Miller netted a shot past Fracyon to give the Irish a 9-5 lead.
Still under five minutes into the quarter, Lehman scored his 23rd goal of the season, trying to keep Penn State in the game. After a Nittany Lion offside, they would pay the price, with Kavanagh scoring his third goal of the game.
Notre Dame added two more goals in 57 seconds, both coming from McLane. With three minutes remaining in the quarter, Liam Matthews forced one in past Ricciardell for Penn State. Long tallied his second goal two minutes later, closing the gap to 12-8.
Just before the quarter expired, Traynor circled the cage and put his fourth goal of the game past Ricciardell, closing the quarter on a 3-0 run.
Penn State won the faceoff, and after a long possession, Lehman found a matchup on the field to attack and buried his shot, cutting the Irish lead to 12-10. Notre Dame won the faceoff, but a check by the Nittany Lions caused a turnover. On the other end, Kyle Lehman scored again, his third of the afternoon and third three-goal game this season.
Traynor scored his fifth goal of the contest by running right down the middle of the field untouched and beating Ricciardell for the tie. Penn State controlled the draw, and it was Traynor who cut right in front of the net, tallying his sixth goal, giving the Nittany Lions their first lead of the game.
Long fired a shot behind his back to beat Ricciardell for Penn State’s eighth unanswered goal, giving them a 14-12 lead.
Notre Dame would try to generate offense late, but Penn State’s defense stood tall. After the Nittany Lions gained possession and ran down the clock, Notre Dame was left with 30 seconds to try and score two goals. The Irish were unable to score, and Penn State secured the 14-12 victory.
Takeaways
- The switch to zone defense threw Notre Dame’s offense off rhythm, going over 20 minutes without scoring.
- Eight unanswered goals from Penn State shut the door on any late Notre Dame comeback.
- Penn State shook off a brutal 3-for-22 first half by going 6-for-9 in the third quarter to spark a comeback.
What’s Next?
Penn State will take on No. 1 seed Cornell in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at noon on Saturday, May 24, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
