No. 9 Penn State Lacrosse Defeats No. 11 Maryland 10-6 | 2024 Season

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A record crowd at Panzer Stadium witnessed No. 9 Penn State men’s lacrosse defeat No. 11 Maryland 10-6 on Saturday, marking the program’s first victory over the Terrapins since 2024 and only the fifth in its history. The attendance of 2,532 fans fueled the Nittany Lions to a decisive win in their Big Ten opener.

Penn State seized early control, building a 5-2 lead in the first quarter. Chase Robertson opened the scoring with a goal assisted by Luke Walstrum, followed by an unassisted goal from John Jude Considine. Maryland responded with two goals of their own, but Penn State quickly regained momentum with goals from Mark Watters and another from Robertson, again assisted by Walstrum. Jack Iannantuono capped off the first quarter with a late goal, extending the lead to three.

The Nittany Lions continued their offensive surge into the second quarter, increasing their advantage to 7-3. Mac Hobbs scored after receiving a pass from Kyle Lehman, and Walstrum converted a cross-alley pass from Michael Faraone. Maryland managed to score a single goal in transition late in the second, but Penn State maintained a comfortable four-goal lead at halftime.

The third quarter saw a shift in momentum, with Maryland outscoring Penn State 1-0. Chris Lyons scored the lone goal of the quarter for the Terrapins, beginning a stretch where the Nittany Lions went over 35 minutes without finding the back of the net.

Maryland continued to chip away at the deficit in the fourth quarter, narrowing the gap to 7-6. However, Penn State responded with three unanswered goals in the final seven minutes, securing the 10-6 victory.

Senior Mac Hobbs and sophomore Chase Robertson each scored twice for Penn State, even as redshirt senior Luke Walstrum led the team in points with one goal and three assists. Junior Kyle Lehman contributed a goal and two assists, also adding four groundballs and causing three turnovers. Freshman goalkeeper Preston Hawkins delivered a standout performance, recording a career-high 14 saves with a 70.0% save percentage. The Penn State defense effectively neutralized Eric Spanos, a preseason Tewaaraton Award candidate, holding him scoreless.

Penn State’s faceoff unit, led by Colby Baldwin and Reid Gills, won 11 of 19 faceoffs, disrupting Maryland’s Henry Dodge, who entered the game leading the nation with a 69.7% win rate, holding him to a .500 percentage.

This victory marks Penn State’s third win against a Top 15 opponent this season. Coach Tambroni has now secured three of the five wins in the series history between the two programs. Penn State’s overall record against Maryland now stands at 5-43.

Penn State will continue Big Ten play next week with a road matchup against No. 7 Ohio State on Saturday, March 28, at 4 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.