USC women’s lacrosse fell to No. 18 Penn State 19-8 on Thursday night at Rawlinson Stadium. The Nittany Lions dominated the entire game start to finish, never allowing the Trojans to find a flow.
Riding a three-game winning streak, USC (6-2, 0-1) was hungry for another and this time, it would have been redemption. Last year, the Trojans fell to Penn State after a late game surge by the Nittany Lions, and ultimately ended up losing 16-8. However, the Trojans fell again, even harder.
USC’s level of play was off from the first draw, allowing the Nittany Lions to fire a shot 46 seconds into the first quarter at sophomore goalie Ellie Thomas. Thomas made the diving save, but that wouldn’t be the last she saw of the Nittany attack.
Penn State’s attackers were hot in the first. Senior Erika Ho scored the first goal of the game for Penn State after a free position attempt at 11:31. Junior Kelly MacKinney brought home another, followed by a goal from senior Emma Kelly and two from senior Payton Wainman.
The Trojans struggled with penalties throughout the night, allowing nine free position attempts – six of which ended up as goals.
USC hung in there, playing with an intense high attacking line and wide runs. The Trojans scored two goals in the first, trailing 5-2 going into the second. That would be the closest they would draw to the Nittany Lions before the floodgates opened.
The second quarter had USC scrambling, literally. The draw controls were a complete mess for the Trojans, with the ball being tossed around the air and rolling on the field for a long time before the Nittany Lions took possession. Penn State won 18 draw controls, compared to USC’s 11.
It was here that the Nittany Lions pulled away with the game, scoring seven goals in the second period alone. Wainman added two more to her collection and junior attack Delaney Radin scored two, including a no-look, behind-the-back shot to the upper corner.
SC was playing slow compared to Penn State. The passes were disjointed and choppy, and the Trojans never found a smooth groove and formation. A few trickled through for the Trojans though, scoring two. The first was a high shot to the top corner by junior attack Emma Bunting, and the second was a walk-in goal by sophomore attack Reese Robinson
At halftime, Penn State led 12-4. In the third, USC began to build a little bit of momentum, scoring three goals – the most they had any period. Sophomore attack Robinson took home her second and final goal of the night, followed by a quick two for junior attack Bunting. She had the most goals for the Trojans on the night with four.
But still, USC couldn’t get shots off quick enough. Players were shooting aimlessly as the shot clock neared the end, as Penn State’s defense allowed no wiggle room. The Trojans instead were pushed high and wide, directly away from securing any goal-scoring opportunities in the middle.
USC’s defense struggled to keep Penn State out wide. Instead, freshman Rocquette Allen and the rest of the Nittany Lion attackers were successful in collapsing the Trojans’ defense and sank them deeper into the middle. By narrowing down the space and splitting the defense, the Nittany Lions were able to fire 31 shots. USC only had 19.
The writing was on the wall as the fourth quarter began, and USC’s energy showed it. Trailing 17-7, the Trojans played sloppy. They secured only one ground ball and one draw control. Bunting missed a good scoring opportunity by shooting directly at Penn State junior goalie Sydney Manning on a free position shot. The team had three messy turnovers on clear goal-scoring chances.
USC junior midfielder Anna Regan took home the only fourth quarter goal for the Trojans, ending their night with nine total. Penn State added two more goals from sophomore attack Ellie Wisch and freshman attack Lizzie Anné to end with 19.
The Trojans fell hard in their first Big Ten game of the season. Now 0-1 in the Big Ten, USC hosts No. 7 Michigan on Saturday. The Trojans will look to rebound if they want a chance at a potential conference tournament run.