On Saturday, May 2, the Big Ten Men’s Lacrosse Championship arrived at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. The matchup pitted the top-seed John Hopkins Blue Jays against the second-seed Penn State Nittany Lions.
The game ended with the Nittany Lions defeating the Blue Jays 16-8 to secure the championship trophy and the program’s second conference title.
For John Hopkins, this was their fifth appearance in the Big Ten Championship, while for Penn State, it was their third appearance.
The offenses for both teams started attacking immediately, score-wise, with Penn State attacker Hunter Aquino scoring within the first two minutes of the first quarter, followed by a goal from John Hopkins attacker Hunter Chauvette, leveling the score for both teams.
A back-and-forth game between these two teams seemed to be the story, as by the end of the first quarter, Johns Hopkins led 3-2 against Penn State, but the Lions were attacking aggressively when they had possession of the ball, producing 10 shots throughout the quarter compared to the Blue Jays’ six shots.
In the second quarter, the Nittany Lions were able to find their momentum, taking the lead going into the second half with a score of 6-4.
Penn State was able to overcome their 2-3 deficit with goals scored by attacker Liam Matthews, midfielder Chase Robertson, and attacker Kyle Lehman, bringing the score to 6-4 against John Hopkins, with Jimmy Ayers scoring the lone goal for the Blue Jays in the quarter.
Once the third quarter began, the switch seemed to have flipped for John Hopkins, and they were able to bring their 4-6 deficit back to a tied game with goals scored by midfielder Matt Coulison and Hunter Chauvette. While the game was tied, the Blue Jays maintained possession of the ball and attempted to create chances, but the Nittany Lions’ offense was becoming more and more dominant.
With 15 shots on goal in the third quarter for Penn State, the Lions scored five consecutive goals, bringing their lead to a dominant 11-6, with the Blue Jays struggling to adjust defensively.
Unable to create consistent chances and opportunities, the John Hopkins Blue Jays were only able to add two more goals to the scoreboard, both by Hunter Chauvette, earning him a hat trick in the final, but it was simply not enough.
The Penn State Nittany Lions added five more goals in the fourth quarter to bring their final score to 16-8. Kyle Lehman also earned a hat trick in the final, with four goals scored in the game.
The road to the NCAA Lacrosse Championship now begins with the selection show on Sunday, May 3, at 9:30 p.m. and the national championship game in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Monday, May 25.
