Courtesy of Yale Athletics

The Elis looked to add another win to the start of their season at Panzer Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania this Saturday, yet they came up four points short against Penn State.

The No. 13 Yale men’s lacrosse team (1–1, 0–0 Ivy) fell 10–6 to Penn State (2–3, 0–0 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon. Midfielder Will Cabrera ’23 recorded a hat trick, but Yale was unable to overcome the Nittany Lions’ late lead in the game. 

“Penn State is an exceptional team,” attackman Matt Brandau ’23 told the News before their last matchup in February 2020. “We’re going [to] have to do every little thing right if we want to beat them, especially on their home field.”

On Saturday, the first faceoff, won by Yale, led to a goal by Cabrera 33 seconds into the game, assisted by Brad Sharp ’25. Two minutes later, Cabrera made his second goal of the game and fourth of the season off a pass from attackman Leo Johnson ’25.

Bulldog defense came in clutch less than a minute later when goalkeeper Jared Paquette ’24 made his first save of the game off PSU midfielder Mark Sickler’s shot on goal. After turnovers by both sides, midfielder Ethan Long assisted midfielder Jack Kelly in PSU’s first goal with 10:33 left in the period.

The Nittany Lions turned up the heat for the remainder of the quarter, scoring five unanswered goals. Four different players rattled the cage over the ten minute span, including two from attackman Jeb Brenfleck. After 15 minutes, the Lions held a 5–2 lead over the Bulldogs.

“Our guys stayed the course, believed in themselves and believed in each other,” head coach Jeff Tambroni told the Daily Collegian following the game. “I’m just so proud of them.”

Yale had the opportunity to tie the game ahead of halftime. On the defensive end, goalkeeper Aleric Fyock stopped eight shots and kept the Lions scoreless in the second quarter. Meanwhile, Johnson scored Yale’s third goal and his fourth of the season with an assist by Brandau. 

With 10 minutes left, midfielder Brian Tevlin ’22 assisted attackman Kyle Zawadzki ’23 in tallying another point for Yale, narrowing the score to 4–5 and putting Yale on the edge. Brandau then tied it up one minute later off an assist by Zawadzki. 

“It’s a big win,” Fyock told the Daily Collegian. “We have some history with this team, so we’re ready to celebrate it, but we’re also ready for the next game.”

At 12:58 in the third, Sickler was assisted by attackman Will Peden for PSU’s leading sixth goal. Over the next four minutes, PSU launched a stronger attack; Brenfleck and Kelly netted two consecutive goals. 

The Bulldogs amped up their defensive play again and protected their goal for the remainder of the period. Cabrera broke into the fourth with 4:50 left in the game, raising the score to 8–6. 

Despite the Blue and White’s best efforts, PSU notched two more to raise their lead to 10–6, and a last-minute attempt on goal by Sharp did not find success. 

“I think it’s two teams familiar with each other and have a lot of respect for each other,” head coach Andy Shay told the News in Feb. 2020. “We just try to play our game. That’s not something we can control.”

Paquette made 16 saves over the course of the game, while Fyock made 21. The Bulldogs also won 14 out of a total of 20 faceoffs.

This Saturday, the Elis will face UMass at 1 p.m. at Reese Stadium.