Michigan
12-5
Penn State
12-6
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn St. | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| Michigan | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
Michigan Holds on Against No. 18 PSU, Advances to B1G Tournament Semifinals
4/22/2026 4:04:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
» Michigan advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the third time in program history after its 13-12 win over Penn State.
» Calli Norris tied a career best with five goals.
» Emma Burke won 13 draw controls.
» The Wolverines will take on No. 1-seed Northwestern on Friday at 3 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's lacrosse team earned a 13-12 victory over No. 18 Penn State on Wednesday (April 22) in its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal matchup at U-M Lacrosse Stadium. With the win, the Wolverines will take on top-seeded Northwestern in a tournament semifinal on Friday.
The contest between the Wolverines (12-5) and the Nittany Lions (12-6) saw four lead changes and six ties, with Michigan pulling out the one-goal win to advance to its third Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
U-M tied the game at 6-6 in the third quarter and took its final lead of the game on an Ava Class free position with 7:06 left in the stanza. Three straight goals to start the fourth quarter put the Wolverines ahead 11-7, but Penn State battled back with three of its own to make it a one-goal game, 11-10, with 10:14 left in the contest. The teams scored two final goals each in the final eight minutes of the game as the Wolverines held on for victory.
Senior Calli Norris paced the Michigan offense, tying a career best with five goals, while Emma Bradbury had four goals and one assist and Ceci Stein notched three points with one goal and two assists. Truus van Wees handed out two assists, and Class scored two goals.
The Wolverines dominated the draw 19-8, with Emma Burke won 13 draw controls and Taylor Cullen won two. Cullen led the U-M defense with three caused turnovers and Emma Arico had four ground balls defensively. In the cage, Elizabeth Johnson made seven saves, while Madeline Jensen played the final 7:42 of the contest.
Penn State scored first, three minutes into the contest, to take an early lead in a back-and-forth first quarter. Bradbury cut in front and shot with her back to the goal for U-M's first goal off a pass from Stein before Norris faked the goalie and wrapped all the way around for an open-cage shot to put the Wolverines up 2-1 with 8:14 in the first quarter. The Nittany Lions tied the game just over a minute later, but Stein fed Norris to provide U-M its second lead of the game, 3-2, with 4:22 left to play. Penn State scored one final goal to knot the score at 3-3 to end the first quarter.
The Nittany Lions scored the first goal of the second quarter, and Michigan tied the score at 4-4 as Norris completed her hat trick with 12:07 to play in the half. PSU took its third lead of the game two minutes later, and the Wolverines once again tied the score on a fast-break play with a Bradbury goal. The U-M defense made back-to-back defensive plays as the teams went into the locker room tied at 5-5.
Michigan took the lead for good in the third quarter with a trio of goals, carrying an 8-7 advantage into the final quarter. The Wolverines continued to build on their lead to start the fourth, scoring another three straight with goals from Norris, Stein and Class to extend their advantage to four, 11-7, with 13:20 remaining. However, Penn State battled back, scoring three of its own to make it a one-goal game, 11-10, with 10:14 left in the contest. The teams scored two goals each in the closing minutes, with U-M holding on for the win.
Michigan will take on No. 1 seed Northwestern on Friday (April 24) at 3 p.m. in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal contest at U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
