No. 9 Penn State men’s lacrosse stays perfect in Big Ten play, beats No. 6 Ohio State on the road

No. 9 Penn State traveled to Columbus, Ohio, at 4 p.m. on Saturday to face No. 6 Ohio State in Week 2 of Big Ten action.The Nittany Lions’ strong first half propelled them to a 13-6 victory over the Buckeyes. Penn State’s record improved to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten, currently 4-1 against ranked opponents this season.First halfThe Nittany Lions opened the game with early momentum, forcing a turnover on the first possession before Michael Faraone put Penn State on the scoreboard with his team’s first shot of the game. After goalie Preston Hawkins made a save, Liam Matthews scored a behind-the-back goal while falling in front of Caleb Fyock’s crease to take a 2-0 lead.Hawkins made 10 saves on 16 shots for a .625 save percentage in the victory, carrying momentum from his breakout performance against Maryland.Penn State continued its dominance on both sides of the ball, causing turnovers leading to a 4-0 lead before Ohio State took its first timeout. First, John Jude Considine fired a shot from close range with 7:39 remaining in the quarter before Jack Iannantuono struck the back of the net on a diving shot.The Buckeyes cut Penn State’s lead to three, capitalizing as the Nittany Lions attempted a 10-man ride. With Hawkins out of the crease, defenseman Kyle Foster launched a shot from Ohio State’s end into the open goal.Matthews answered immediately, assisted by Luke Walstrum. Walstrum’s pass found the Orangeville, Ontario, native at the top of the box and his side-arm shot didn’t miss.At the two-minute mark, the Buckeyes scored their first offensive goal of the game. Alex Marinier caught Liam White on the left side, who beat Hawkins’ stick to set the score, 5-2, heading into the second quarter.Marinier started the second quarter on the right foot, scoring less than a minute into play. His shot from mid-range trickled past Hawkins, who got a piece of the ball but wasn’t able to make the save.However, Chase Robertson responded with a solo effort from the top of the box to reclaim the three-goal lead. He dodged past a pair of Buckeye defenders and beat Fyock just under the crossbar.Lucca DiBartolomeo played a key role in Iannantuono’s second goal of the game, forcing a turnover with a heavy stick check in Ohio State territory after a failed transition attempt. On the following possession, Iannantuono ripped a shot from the left side past Fyock to take a 7-3 lead with 9:50 left in the half.Ohio State’s defense settled in with Fyock making big saves, allowing for transition opportunities on Penn State’s end. However, the Buckeyes repeatedly made errors in clearing or going offside. Dominic Shaw took a cross-checking penalty, giving Kyle Lehman the space to score on the man-up for an 8-3 lead at halftime.Second halfGarrett Haas scored the first goal of the second half, rounding the crease before bouncing the ball past Hawkins less than two minutes into the third quarter. Hawkins, however, responded with consecutive saves on dangerous chances on the doorstep as Penn State struggled to clear.Then, the fireworks began. First, Mark Watters shot through heavy coverage to take a 9-4 lead at the eight-minute mark before Jake Cohen answered 21 seconds later.On the following faceoff, Jon King cut to the net through traffic and was stripped of the ball. But Fyock was unable to scoop the rolling ball that dribbled past the goal line.With 5:01 left in the third quarter, Faraone scored his second of the game on the right wing with a heavy side-arm shot that nearly clipped Fyock’s stick.Robertson carried the momentum in the dying moments of the quarter, giving the Nittany Lions a 12-5 lead going into the final frame. Hawkins maintained that score, making a series of desperation saves with time winding down to stop the Buckeyes’ advance.To start the fourth quarter, Ohio State elected to replace Fyock with junior Jack Allen after the starter’s seven saves on 19 shots. Allen made three saves on four shots in one quarter of action.Walstrum struck first, scoring a wraparound with a defender’s stick lodged under his chinstrap. Immediately afterwards, Jack Oldman ran down the center of the box, beating Hawkins high to respond.Scoring noticeably dropped off for the remainder of the game as both teams placed lock-down defense, forcing shot-clock violations despite multiple penalties. One last save from Hawkins iced the game, and Penn State moved to 2-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2019.Injury ReportAttackman Hunter Aquino and midfielder Patrick Carragher weren’t dressed in the line-up.Up NextPenn State will travel to Baltimore, Maryland, to face Johns Hopkins at noon on Saturday.MORE LACROSSE COVERAGE

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