UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In a tightly contested matchup, between Colgate and No. 7 Penn State, the Nittany Lions were able to build upon a five-point cushion in the third quarter to edge an 18–14 victory at Holuba Hall on Sunday.
Despite the loss, the Raiders had nine different goal scorers, featuring four Raiders scoring two or more goals. Casey Quinson netted a hat trick as Hunter Drouin, Freddy Fowler, and Quinn Spillett each added two goals.
Colgate capitalized on power-play opportunities, netting three goals with the man-up advantage and converting on three of five opportunities.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Colgate's goalkeeper Andrew Lehrman faced heat from the get-go, as Penn State jumped out to an early 3–0 lead. The gap could have been wider, but Lehrman saved five shots to keep the Nittany Lions from extending the lead.
The Raiders' offense was stagnant until first-year Emmet Crotty scored the team's first goal of the season and his first collegiate goal, rounding the crease to trail 3–1. Drouin added the Raiders' second goal, collecting a ground ball off Crotty's initial shot.
Momentum stayed in the Raiders' favor entering the second quarter as Colgate boasted a 3–0 run.
In a 45-second span, Quinn Spillett, Andy Croddick, and Freddy Fowler all found the back of the net, exploiting Penn State's defense to take the 5–3 lead.
Penn State responded with a 4–0 run, scoring goals from quick ball movement around the perimeter and through the crease to regain the lead, 7–5.
Drouin halted the Nittany Lions' offensive streak on a man-up possession, assisted by Andrew Kiefer, but the Nittany Lions regained momentum with back-to-back goals, pushing a 9–6 lead.
Colgate's Ryan Favaro added a goal at 2:20, and Spillett scored again with 12 seconds remaining to bring the Raiders within two at the end of the quarter, leaving the score at 10–8 in favor of Penn State.
The third quarter saw a flurry of activity, with both teams trading goals. Casey Quinson scored three goals in a row for Colgate. However, Penn State responded with goals from Jack Iannantuono, Chase Robertson, Patrick Carragher, Kyle Lehman, Luke Walstrum, and Hunter Aquino, each time regaining the lead.
Penn State fired a shot in the final 30 seconds of the third, Lehrman was there to make the save and quickly push the ball up the field, finding Fowler, who assisted Sam Erickson, narrowing the gap to 16–12.
In a low-scoring fourth quarter, both teams only added two more goals to their total. Penn State opened the fourth quarter with Aquino scoring, marking his fifth goal of the game.
The Raiders responded quickly, with Fowler netting a goal and Andrew Heubeck added another for Colgate, bringing their total to 14 goals.
However, Lehman secured the win for Penn State with a goal with just under two minutes of play remaining, closing the game at 18–14.
NOTES
- First year Emmet Crotty opened the season for the Raiders with his first collegiate goal.
- Quinson scored three consecutive goals for the Raiders to secure a hat-trick, the third of his career.
- Drouin and Fowler led the attack with two goals and two assists, totaling four points.
- Erickson scored his 12th collegiate goal and led the team in caused turnovers with three.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Lehrman registered his first career start, facing 33 shots on target and making 15 saves.
- In season openers against PSU, Colgate falls to 2–1 in the overall series.
UP NEXT
Colgate (0–1, 0–0 Patriot League) will continue its road stretch to Charlottesville, Va., to face No. 14 Virginia (0–0, 0–0 ACC) on Sunday at noon.
