UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — First-year
Liam Connor scored his first career goal with four seconds remaining in the game to lift Colgate past No. 4 Penn State 13-12 in the Raiders' season opener Saturday afternoon.
"First, I just want to recognize the tremendous respect for Coach Tambroni and what he has built down there at Penn State," said head coach
Matt Karweck.
"As for today, we are very pleased with our energy throughout the entire game. Our team plays with incredible heart and love for one another. For Colgate Lacrosse, it is the leadership of our seniors, our dedication to preparation, and our commitment to the process that helped us succeed today. We are so proud of this team and look forward to our next game in just a few short days."
Aidan Murnane intercepted a Nittany Lion pass just past half field and broke out in transition. He then played a perfectly timed pass to Connor, who finished a shot into the bottom left corner from right in front of the goal.
Michael Minicus had put the Raiders up 12-11 with 5:24 left, ending a 5-1 PSU run that carried over from the third. Although, Penn State knotted the score up just over three minutes later.
Colgate began the second half on a 4-1 run, including two goals from
Hunter Drouin, who tied his career high with five points after scoring a career-best four goals.
Michael Kiely and
Patty Eldredge also found the back of the net, helping their squad gain a four-goal cushion, the largest of the contest, with 7:52 remaining in the third.
The Raiders took a 6-4 advantage into the halftime break after outscoring the Nittany Lions 4-1 in the second. Colgate got two in a row after
Jack Turner scored a man-down goal with just over 10 minutes on the clock, and
Jacob Sposita put one in two minutes later. The quarter ended the same way it started after Miniucs found the back of the net, and Drouin followed with 29 seconds to play.
Turner notched Colgate's first goal of the season in the first, and Drouin scored his first of the year to give the visitors an early 2-1 lead at the 8:24 mark. Penn State matched that with two of their own to pull ahead 3-2.
Goalie
Matt LaCombe came out hot, making seven saves in the first half and denying PSU on several good scoring chances. He logged six more stops in the second, finishing with 13 in the game.
Max Yates led the Raiders defensive efforts with four caused turnovers and seven ground balls. Murnane caused three turnovers, while sophomore
Sam Erickson logged two.
UP NEXT
Colgate has a quick turnaround before facing another nationally-ranked opponent in No. 9 Syracuse on Monday at 6 p.m. inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
