STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The University of Pennsylvania engaged in an epic struggle with No. 5 Penn State on Saturday afternoon at the Nittany Lions' Panzer Stadium. The Quakers and Lions were tied on 10 separate occasions—including seven times in the second half—and were separated by two goals just four times.
 
In the end, Penn State was able to escape with the 15-14 win thanks to Nick Spillane, as he tied things up with 2:39 left in regulation and then scored the unassisted winner just 38 seconds later. Tyler Dunn had a chance to tie it up just inside the final minute of regulation, but his left-handed shot was easily saved by PSU's Colby Kneese and the Nittany Lions ran out the clock.
 
Penn got off to a quick start, Adam Goldner and Sam Handley pushing the Quakers out to a 2-0 lead and then Simon Mathias matching Jack Kelly's tally to make it 3-1 before the game was four minutes old. Penn State reeled off the last three goals of the period, however, and then Kelly scored his second of the game just 1:09 into the second to make it 5-3 Nittany Lions.
 
It was Penn's turn to respond after that. Goldner, Dunn and Mathias notched goals over a 2:35 span to give the Quakers a 6-5 lead. Penn State came back with a pair of goals to go in front, 7-6, but Goldner hit the hat trick in the final minute of the first half to send the teams to the locker room tied, 7-7.
 
The second half would be long on drama, as the teams would be tied at 8-8, 9-9, 10-10, 12-12, 13-13, and 14-14 before things were decided. The only two-goal margin in the half came when Penn led, 12-10.
 
Handley opened the second-half scoring, only to be matched by Grant Ament. Handley scored again—giving the freshman three on the day—but then Dylan Foulds scored a pair of unassisted goals to put the Nittany Lions in front, 10-9. This time it was Penn's turn to respond, Goldner finishing a Sean Lulley feed to make the score 10-10 heading into the final quarter.
 
Mitch Bartolo and Lulley scored goals just 34 seconds apart, extending Penn's three-goal run and putting the Quakers in front 12-10. However, the Lions again got level, Ament finding Kelly and then TJ Malone to make it 12-12 with 9:14 to play.
 
More than three minutes would go by before the next goal, Goldner netting his fifth to put Penn in front 13-12. O'Keefe scored just 1:12 later to tie things up again, and then Lulley made it 14-13 off a Bartolo feed with 3:05 to play. However, that set the stage for Spillane's heroics, the winning goal coming with 2:01 to play when he fired a shot over goalkeeper Reed Junkin's left shoulder.
 
Goldner finished with five goals, while Handley had three. Lulley ended the day with five points, recording two goals and three assists, and Mathias scored twice while Bartolo had a goal and two assists. At the other end, Junkin finished the day with 12 saves.
 
Ament (1g, 5a) led the Penn State attack on Saturday, while O'Keefe, Foulds, Spillane and Kelly all scored three times. Kneese finished with 11 stops.
 
Penn is back in action two times next weekend playing in the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic. The Quakers will face Villanova at Villanova Stadium on Friday in the second half of a doubleheader, then take on Saint Joseph's on Sunday at Drexel's Vidas Field.