Fresh off a victory against the Ohio State Buckeyes last Saturday, the Blue Jays men’s lacrosse team was put to the test yet again this week against the Penn State Nittany Lions in a foreign state college environment. Four quarters were not enough to determine a winner this time. The game was sent into overtime, after which the Jays finally emerged victorious.
The Jays looked to be in control early in the contest, scoring four unanswered goals to start the game. Senior attackman Ryan Brown scored the first goal of the day for the Jays, making this the seventh straight game in which he scored at least one goal.
The Nittany Lions, who now have a 7-5 season record, would not go away despite the early deficit. They tacked on three unanswered goals of their own at one point to keep the contest close for the duration of the game.
Neither team scored more than two goals in a row following the Nittany Lions’ run, which left the score knotted at 7-7 going into the fourth quarter, where drama ensued.
The Jays struck first in the fourth when senior midfielder Holden Cattoni scored both in the first minute and then again with eight minutes remaining. However the relentless Nittany Lions found a way to manufacture two goals of their own, tying the score at nine goals each.
Uncharacteristically quiet until this point, junior midfielder John Crawley entered the fourth quarter without a goal. This would only be temporary, though, as Crawley took over the game. Crawley first beat the keeper with his right hand off a pass from Brown and then hit a
This would only be temporary, though, as Crawley took over the game. Crawley first beat the keeper with his right hand off a pass from Brown and then hit a left handed, top-shelf runner to net another goal, giving the Jays a two goal cushion with under five minutes to play.
Penn State attackman Nick Aponte rebutted with a goal of his own to complete his hat trick of the day, and junior midfielder Matt Florence would even the score with less than 30 seconds remaining.
The Jays, who have a 2-1 record in overtime contests, started off the period without the ball — always a dangerous moment in a sudden death overtime.
Freshman attackman Alex Concannon recognized the precarious situation and pointed to the complete team effort that was necessary to turn it into a chance to score the winning goal.
“It was a very tense moment,” Concannon said. “Penn State had possession first, but I was confident our defense would stay strong and cause them to turn the ball over. Austin Spencer made a great play and caused his man to turn the ball over. We were able to get the ball down the field. Cody Radziewicz dodged down the alley and was able to find John [Crawley] on the back-side, and he was able to put it away. The atmosphere was great.”
Crawley finished off his hat trick, and the Jays celebrated a hard-earned Conference road win.
It took the Jays more than allotted time in regulation to take down the Nittany Lions last year as well when they won a double overtime battle on Homewood field under the lights. Following the victory last year, the Jays went on a six game win streak that led them to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships.
Concannon commented on how this victory has had a similar galvanizing effect so far.
“It was a big Conference win and gives us good vibes this week during practice,” the attackman said.
The Jays will head to Ann Arbor, Mich. this weekend, where they will face a Wolverine squad coming off a six-game losing streak.
The Wolverines have played well at home, almost upsetting No. 5 University of Maryland and keeping games much more competitive than on the road. The Jays will look to channel their “good vibes” of the prior week into the game versus Michigan and beyond, into their push for the playoffs.
Faceoff is at 5 p.m. in Michigan Stadium.
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