March 20, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Despite four goals from junior All-American Ally Carey, the 12th-ranked Vanderbilt lacrosse team fell Sunday at Penn State, 11-8.
The Nittany Lions scored the game’s first four goals en route to a 9-2 halftime advantage. After the Commodores got on board midway through the first period with tallies from Carey and senior Meghan Rose, Penn State reeled off five straight — including four goals in the final 5:23 of the half.
The Commodores scored the first two goals of the second half to pull within five at 9-4, but the lead spread back out to six following two more PSU goals. Vanderbilt would rally over the final 15 minutes to score four straight and make the final deficit just three, 11-8.
Highlights for Vanderbilt included six ground balls by freshman Alyssa Dunlap and five draw controls by senior Emily Franke. Sophomore goalkeeper Chelsea Pasfield notched four saves against only four goals over the final 30 minutes of action. On top of the scores by Carey and Rose, junior Kendall Pittinger added two goals and freshman Abby Wheeler had another.
The Commodore return home next weekend to play host to Stanford on Sunday, March 27, at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex. The game is scheduled to begin at Noon CT.
