Penn State Wins Opener in NCAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament

Penn State men's lacrosse ralled from an early deficit with a five-goal second quarter to defeat Colgate 13-11 in the opening round of the NCAA Lacross Tournament. With the victory, the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the Ohio State-Notre Dame game on May 18.

Penn State (11-4) played Colgate to a back-and-forth duel at Panzer Stadium. Colgate scored the first two goals and held the Nittany Lions scoreless through the first quarter. Penn State rebounded with a five-goal second quarter to tie the game at the half.

The Nittany Lions took their first lead in the third quarter on a goal from sophomore Liam Matthews, but Colgate scored three straight to recapture the advantage. The teams traded three-goal runs through the third and fourth periods, with Penn State finishing the game with a 3-0 rally over the last five minutes.

Matthews, who led Penn State with four goals, had two in the final run. Ethan lLong had a goal and three assists, while Matt Traynor scored three times. Penn State also forced 18 turnovers, a program record in the NCAA Tournament.

Penn State, the tournament's fifth seed, is making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Nittany Lions are in playing in their third straight tournament, having reached the NCAA semifinals in 2023. Penn State fell to Duke that year on a controversial overtime goal that led to changes regarding the use of video replay in NCAA men's lacrosse.

Penn State will play either Ohio State or Notre Dame in a quarterfinal game May 18 at Navy-Marine Corp Stadium in Annapolis. ESPU will televise.