Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1535618
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 5 41 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T he Penn State men's lacrosse team is going back to the Final Four. For the third time in the past six seasons, coach Jeff Tambroni's squad advanced through the NCAA quarter- finals, this time topping Notre Dame, 14-12, on May 18 in Annapolis, Md., be- hind a remarkable 6-goal performance by senior midfielder Matt Traynor. The Nittany Lions needed one of the most dramatic and compelling come- backs in program history to pull off the win over the two-time defending na- tional champs. They trailed by as many as 6 goals in the second half but made a furious comeback to set up a clash with top-ranked Cornell in the national semifinals on May 24 at Gillette Sta- dium in Foxborough, Mass. "I'm not sure I've ever quite been a part of a win like that," Tambroni told The Daily Collegian. "It was just a lot of fun to be a part of it." It didn't look like it was going to be much fun initially. Tenth-ranked Notre Dame had taken a comfortable 8-3 lead into the halftime break, and even after the Lions shaved their deficit down to 3 goals in the third quarter, the Fighting Irish kept pouring it on. With just 21 minutes to play, Notre Dame led 12-6. But then everything changed. Sopho- more attackman Liam Matthews scored with 3:14 remaining in the third quar- ter, and his tally ignited a PSU offen- sive barrage. In quick succession, senior midfielder Ethan Long sent home his second score of the game, followed by a Traynor goal to trim the deficit back to 3 goals entering the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions then got back-to- back scores from sophomore attackman Kyle Lehman, first at the 13:52 mark and again with 12:44 left to play. Suddenly, the Lions were within a goal of the Irish for the first time since early in the first quarter. And they were far from finished. Traynor tied the score at 12-12 on a goal-crashing run through the heart of Notre Dame's defense with 8:34 left to play. A little more than a minute later, he sent home his sixth goal of the game at OLYMPIC SPORTS RALLY CATS The Nittany Lion men's lacrosse team surges past Notre Dame to reach the Final Four NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Matt Traynor scored 9 of Penn State's 27 goals in its NCAA Tournament victories over Colgate and Notre Dame. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Doherty Steps Down As Women's Lax Coach The Penn State women's lacrosse team began a nationwide coaching search after announcing on May 1 that Missy Doherty was leaving to pursue other professional opportunities. Doherty compiled an overall record of 155-107 during her 15 seasons in charge of the Penn State program, including a 47-40 mark in conference play. The Nittany Lions made eight NCAA Tourna- ment appearances during her tenure, reaching the semifinal round in 2016 and '17. In 2015, a sea- son in which Penn State went 16-5 and won the Big Ten Tournament, she was named the league's coach of the year. "I have so many fond memories of my time here and know Penn State Women's Lacrosse has a bright future," Doherty said in a statement announcing her departure. "I am ready for a new chal- lenge and look forward to the future." — Matt Herb