EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 15 Penn State women's lacrosse knocked off No. 25 Rutgers, 17-8, Thursday afternoon to advance to the Big Ten Championships for just the third time in program history.
No. 2 seeded Penn State will face No. 1 seeded Northwestern on Saturday.
Penn State moves to 11-6 overall, while Rutgers falls to 8-10.
The last time Penn State competed in the conference championship was in 2018 where No. 1 seeded Maryland defeated the No. 3 seeded Nittany Lions, 21-12. The women's lacrosse program last won the conference title in 2015 as the No. 2 seed winning against Ohio State, 13-11.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – Penn State 3, Rutgers 1
The Nittany Lions and Scarlet Knights had first draw nearly one after the scheduled start time due to lightning in the area. Kristin O'Neill struck first at the 12:10 mark after a Rutgers turnover caused by Sammy Dupcak. Dupcak scooped up the ground ball, made the pass to O'Neill who took it nearly the whole length of the field to score.
Brooke Hoss and Meghan Murray both knocked goals back before Rutgers broke through with less than a minute left in the first quarter to make the score, 3-1 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
Second Quarter – Penn State 7, Rutgers 5
The Scarlet Knights opened the second quarter with three consecutive goals to take the lead for the first time.
Kayla Abernathy scored back-to-back both assisted by Kelly MacKinney to give Penn State back their lead for the rest of the game.
Lightning delayed the game once again at the 7:05 mark of the second quarter.
O'Neill and MacKinney scored after the weather delay and to end the half.
Third Quarter – Penn State 15, Rutgers 7
Penn State nearly doubled their lead in the third quarter thanks to a combined five free position goals from Erika Ho and Lauren Saltz. Gretchen Gilmore, Abernathy and MacKinney contributed to the scoring efforts in the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter – Penn State 17, Rutgers 8
The Nittany Lions allowed the Scarlet Knights just one goal in the fourth quarter before scoring two of their own from Gilmore to win the game.
GAME NOTES
>> MacKinney led the offense with six points coming from two goals and four assists, a career high.
>> Penn State held the 33-23 edge in shots and 17-10 advantage on the draw.
>> The defense scooped up 15 ground balls and caused nine turnovers.
>> Goalkeeper Sydney Manning registered four saves in the victory.
>> The team scored on 7-8 free position opportunities.
UP NEXT
Penn State will match up against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Saturday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Evanston, Ill. The game will be broadcasted on Big Ten Network.
