Michigan
10-5, 3-2B1G
Penn State
10-4, 2-2B1G
Strong First Half, Defense Lead Michigan Past No. 17 Penn State
4/8/2023 3:59:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
» Michigan defeated No. 17 Penn State 10-8 to win its third Big Ten game of the season.
» Goalie Maya Santa-Maria made 11 saves.
» Jill Smith scored four goals to bring her season total to 50.
» U-M won the draw control battle 13-8.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's lacrosse team used a powerful first half and a strong defensive effort to earn a 10-8 victory over No. 17 Penn State on Saturday afternoon (April 8) at U-M Lacrosse Stadium.
Behind 11 saves from junior goalie Maya Santa-Maria and 11 forced Penn State turnovers, the Wolverines (10-5, 3-2 Big Ten) earned their third Big Ten victory of the season and third over a ranked opponent.
Michigan won the draw control battle 13-8 with Lily Montemarano picking up six wins and Erin Garvey adding four, while Maddie Burns had two.
Sophomore Jill Smith tallied her 50th goal of the season with a team-best four on the day, while Caroline Davis had three points with a pair of goals and an assist and Kaylee Dyer had a goal and an assist.
Defensively, U-M forced Penn State (10-6, 3-3 Big Ten) to turn the ball over 11 times as Annabelle Burke and Julia Schwabe had two caused turnovers each, while Burns picked up three ground balls.
Smith got Michigan on the scoreboard just 34 seconds into the game before the Nittany Lions took what would be their only lead, 2-1, with back-to-back goals within two minutes of each other. Smith answered with a pair of her own and Dyer added one in the final minute of the first quarter to give U-M a 4-2 lead into the second 15 minutes of action.
Michigan continued its run to six in the second stanza scoring another three consecutive goals and taking a 7-2 advantage with 9:27 remaining in the first half. The Nittany Lions rattled off a three-goal run of their own before Davis found a striking Montemarano for a U-M goal and an 8-5 edge.
PSU tallied one final goal in the closing minute of the first half, but the Wolverines took an 8-6 advantage into the halftime break. Penn State scored the lone goal of the third quarter to come within one before the Wolverines opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals to take a three-goal advantage, 10-7, with 5:48 remaining in the contest.
The Nittany Lions added one final goal in the final second as Michigan went on to victory.
The Wolverines conclude the 2023 regular season Thursday (April 13) at 6 p.m. when they welcome Johns Hopkins to U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The contest will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
