The Penn State men’s lacrosse team handed Hofstra its first Colonial Athletic Conference loss of the season 8-7 in Happy Valley on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions got off to a fast start thanks to freshman Mike Sutton, who scored two goals in the first two minutes. The Pride responded with two goals of their own, tying the game 2-2 before the end of the first quarter.
Penn State senior Shane Sturgis dominated the beginning of the high-scoring second quarter, recording three goals in the first three minutes of the quarter, bringing his yearly total to 33 goals, good for second place in the CAA in goals scored. Sutton picked up another goal to give the Nittany Lions a 6-4 lead at the half.
In the second half the Pride added a goal to open the half before falling victim to Sutton again, who registered his fourth goal of the game. Senior Torin Varn and junior Korey Hendrickson scored two goals each for the Pride.. Sophomore Sam Llinares also shined for Hofstra, tallying four assists. Llinares finished the season with 32 assists, the most in the CAA.
Despite finishing in third place in the conference, the Nittany Lions will not be competing in the CAA Tournament due to ineligibility as Penn State plans to leave the conference at the end of the season. Hofstra ended the season tied for first place in the CAA and will host Delaware on Wednesday as the Pride look to return to the conference championship game for the first time since 2008.
Drexel beats High Point
The Drexel lacrosse team overpowered High Point on Saturday in the final game of the regular season, extending its win streak to six games with an 11-8 victory.
The Dragons came out of the gates ready to play, securing a four-goal lead before High Point picked up a goal in the final minute, finishing the first quarter with a 4-1 lead. The Panthers couldn’t answer Drexel’s high-powered attack in the second quarter as the Dragons chipped in four more goals to take an 8-3 lead at halftime.
In the second half the teams exchanged matching blows, with both sides scoring three goals in the second half before redshirt senior Bucky Smith added two late goals for High Point, scoring twice in the final minute of play. Unable to overcome the large first half deficit, the Panthers’ comeback effort came up short as time ran out.
Drexel junior Ben McIntosh – the CAA’s leading goal scorer – continued his scoring ways in the final regular season game, tallying another hat trick in addition to an assist. Freshman Jules Raucci and junior Jared Boudreau also powered the Dragon offense, contributing two goals each.
Drexel will host Towson on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year’s CAA semifinals matchup, when the Dragons will look to avenge an 11-10 defeat to the Tigers.
Towson falls to Penn
The Towson lacrosse team fell to Penn at home on Tuesday in the final game of the regular season, dropping a lopsided 15-9 final.
The Tigers and Quakers exchanged goals in the first quarter, with the Tigers taking a 3-2 lead into the second quarter. Junior Justin Mabus got the scoring underway for Towson, scoring in the first minute before picking up a second goal at the end of the first quarter.
The Quakers dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 4-1 to take a two-goal lead into halftime. Junior Isaac Bock and sophomore Nick Doktor scored two goals each for Penn in the second quarter.
The Quaker’s strong offensive play continued in the second half as the they scored six goals in the third and three goals in the fourth quarter to open up a sizable lead that Towson couldn’t overcome.
The Tigers will look to put this loss behind them as it prepares to make a run at their second straight CAA title, beginning on Wednesday as they head to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on Drexel.
Jamie Cushman can be reached at [email protected].
