Penn State men’s lacrosse lost 11-10 to Johns Hopkins on April 4, marking the Nittany Lions’ first conference defeat of the season. The game took place at Homewood Field in Baltimore, where Penn State has yet to secure a win.
The loss means Penn State no longer holds sole possession of the lead for the conference title race. In the final minute, Penn State’s defense forced a turnover and gave its offense one last chance, but two shots missed their target as time expired.
Sophomore Chase Robertson led Penn State with two goals and two assists. Redshirt senior Michael Faraone also scored twice. Freshman Jack Iannantuono and redshirt sophomore Liam Matthews each contributed a goal and an assist, while five other players recorded one point each. Senior Jon King collected five groundballs, while sophomore Reid Gills and junior Colby Balwin combined for 14 faceoff wins out of 24 attempts. Freshman goalkeeper Preston Hawkins made six saves early but finished with a .421 save percentage after facing heavy pressure late in the game.
The teams traded leads throughout the contest. After building a five-goal advantage in the third quarter, Penn State saw Johns Hopkins rally back with several unanswered goals, including taking their first lead since early in the game during the fourth quarter. A scoring drought lasting nearly 24 minutes hampered Penn State’s chances until Faraone broke through late in regulation.
With this result, Penn State’s all-time record against Johns Hopkins stands at seven wins and fifteen losses; they have never won at Homewood Field.
Penn State will return home next week to play Michigan at Panzer Stadium on April 11 for its final regular-season home game.
