The No. 21 Penn State Nittany Lions lost a closely contested game to the No. 3 Maryland Terrapins, 14-13, on March 29 at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland.
The result is significant for Penn State, which mounted a strong second-half comeback but ultimately could not overcome the undefeated Terrapins.
Freshman Rocquette Allen led the Nittany Lions with five goals and six points, tying her career-high in both categories and setting new personal bests against Big Ten opponents. Another freshman, Makenna Gagliardi, made her collegiate debut as goalkeeper during a yellow card situation and posted an impressive save rate of 57.1 percent—outperforming Maryland’s JJ Suriano.
Additional contributions came from Kelly MacKinney and Tewaaraton Watch List honorees Erika Ho and Delaney Radin, each tallying three points for Penn State. Defender Susannah O’Connell tied her career-high with three caused turnovers while senior captain Lauren Tinson recorded two caused turnovers and one ground ball.
Maryland started strong by scoring first and closing out the opening quarter ahead by two goals. The teams traded runs throughout the match with key moments including Allen’s multiple goals from eight meters out and MacKinney’s conversion during a woman-up opportunity following a green card against Maryland’s draw control unit. In goal, Sydney Manning made six saves before receiving a yellow card that brought Gagliardi into play.
Penn State’s offense managed to hold Suriano to her second-lowest save percentage of the season at .350. The team’s thirteen goals were also the second-most allowed by Maryland all season—a testament to their offensive effort despite falling short late in the fourth quarter when they were unable to tie up or win after narrowing the gap to one goal.
Looking ahead, Penn State will finish its road trip on April 5 against Ohio State before returning home for an April 9 matchup versus Oregon.
