College Crosse Roundup: Battle-tested Maryland beats Penn State; Rutgers, Saint Joseph’s take care of business

For the second straight week, Sunday Night Big Ten Lacrosse proved to be worth watching.

Game Recaps

Maryland 13, Penn State 12: As expected, it was a dog fight, as the Terps gutted out another one-goal win in Happy Valley against the Nittany Lions. Penn State controlled momentum for 2 ²⁄₃ quarters, before Maryland began to mount their comeback. The Terrapins took their first lead with 44 seconds left in the third on a Will Snider tally, before the Nittany Lions tied the game up with a second left in the third. But with veteran leadership and experience on their side, Maryland pushed their way to victory thanks to a pair of goals from Connor Kelly and Logan Wisnauskas.

Kelly finished the game with six goals and an assist, while Wisnauskas added three tallies. Jared Bernhardt and Will Snider potted two goals each. Dan Morris made 12 stops. For the Nittany Lions, Mac O’Keefe scored four times, Dylan Foulds added a hat-trick, and Nick Spillane cashed in with a pair of goals and assists. Colby Kneese stopped nine shots.

With 5:56 left in the final quarter, Penn State FOGO Gerard Arceri went down with a leg injury and it appeared to be a non-contact injury. This was the last thing the Nittany Lions needed, as they still don’t have Grant Ament available to play.

Maryland hosts Rutgers next Sunday, while Penn State hosts Hopkins.

Rutgers 16, Michigan 8: Despite a slow start to the game, the Scarlet Knights exploded for five goals in the final three minutes of the second quarter en route to doubling up Michigan at home. Rutgers started the game on a 12-0 run and didn’t allow a goal for 34:02. It looked like Michigan was going to give Rutgers a tough test, but the Wolverines couldn’t get a shot past goalie Max Edelmann, who ended up making 14 saves.

If Kieran Mullins was his own team, he would’ve forced overtime on his own with his eight goals. Jules Heningburg dished out five assists and scored a goal of his own, while Connor Vercruysse filled in for a semi-ill Tommy Coyne by scoring four times. For Michigan, Alex Buckanavage had a hat-trick, while Rocco Sutherland added two goals of his own.

Rutgers has another huge test ahead of them against Maryland. This time, they’re on the road. Michigan has their rivalry game with Ohio State in Columbus.

Saint Joseph’s 14, Sacred Heart 12: Over in the NEC, the Hawks improved to 3-0 in conference play with an impressive two-goal win over the Pioneers. This game was close throughout and was tied at 11 until Hawks freshman Shane Fable gave St. Joe’s a lead they would eventually hold keep until the final horn. Hayes McGinley and Chris Blewitt also added goals for the Hawks. Mike Adler made 16 saves.

Fable scored on four separate occasions with one assist, while McGinley had a hat-trick. Blewitt scored a pair of goals and dished out three assists. For Sacred Heart, Joe Saggese scored four goals and one assist on 18 (!) shots. Midfielder Max Tuttle provided a hat-trick and two assists on 13 (!) shots. Brooks Dutton recorded eight stops in the loss.

Three Stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️: Mike Adler, G, Saint Joseph’s - The redshirt-freshman netminder has played in eight games this season. He’s recorded 10 or more saves in each of those games (he did not play in the NJIT game). The Fort Lauderdale native is a goalie that you should keep your eye out for, and should make an appearance on this year’s College Crosse All-Freshman team.

⭐️⭐️: Kieran Mullins, A, Rutgers - He had the same statline as Ethan Walker did against Villanova with eight goals and one assist. He scored the same amount of goals as an entire team did. That rarely happens, especially when it happens against a decently good team such as Michigan.

⭐: Connor Kelly, M (really an A), Maryland - Didn’t have the same stats as Mullins, but he played in a much more competitive game than Mullins did and came in clutch in scoring the Terrapins’ eventual game-winning goal on the road. His numbers were good, but you have to think his leadership and experience as a senior was really valuable in that situation.