GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Tyler Patay (Fr., San Diego, Calif.) capped off his first intercollegiate season with a bang as he put away five goals to power Rocky Mountain Division Champion/No. 17-ranked the University of Colorado to a 15-13 victory over Mid-Atlantic Division/No. 14 Pennsylvania State University in the Ninth Place game of the 2024 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Florida.
Competing at the Ann Marie Rogers Swimming & Diving Pool at the O’Connell Center in the shadow of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Buffaloes bamboozled the Nittany Lions by opening up an 11-3 lead with 6:38 left in the second quarter and coasting the rest of the way for a two-goal victory.
Colorado adds to its legacy with the second Ninth Place mark in program history following prior Second (1997), Fifth (2016), Sixth (2023), Seventh (2001, 2014, 2021), Eighth (2010, 2023), Ninth (2015), 11th (2017) and 12th (2008) Place marks at the event.
Penn State adds another Top 10 finish to the squad’s history as the team now holds runner-up (1998), Seventh (2016, 2022), Eighth (2014), 10th (2009, 2015, 2017, 2024), 11th (2012, 2023) and 12th (2005) place marks.
The Buffaloes never trailed in the game as Colorado opened up a 5-0 margin before exiting the first quarter with a 6-1 lead. Following a 4-2 scoring output in the second quarter to go ahead 10-3 by halftime, Colorado slowed its offense and wavered on defense in the third quarter as the Nittany Lions inched to within three at 13-10 thanks to a 7-3 scoring spurt.
The teams played relatively even in the fourth quarter with PSU holding a slight 3-2 scoring advantage to chip the final margin down to a pair at 15-13.
Benjamin Budic (Sr., San Diego, Calif.), Matteo Petty (So., Orinda, Calif.), Luke Shropshire (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) and Nico Madrid (Gr., New Canaan, Conn.) each tacked on pairs of goals for Colroado, while Ryan Bannon (Gr., Broomfield, Colo.) and Lachlan Nagel (Sr., Santa Cruz, Calif.) registered solo tallies. Goalkeepers Tyler Armstrong (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Austin Dale (Sr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) notched four and five saves, respectively, to anchor the Buffaloes’ defense.
On the other end of the tank, Ryan McLaughlin (Sr., Blue Bell, Pa.) accounted for five of Penn State’s points. Danny Crump (Jr, Blue Bell, Pa.), Jacob Harkins (Sr., Hollywood, Fla.) and Louie Porter (Sr., King of Prussia, Pa.) put away pairs of shots with the duo of Liam McMilin (So., Carlisle, Pa.) and Nathan Weaver (Gr., London, Ontario) slipping in solo scores. Goalkeeper Dan Tumolo (Sr., Blue Bell, Pa.) finished with 10 saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 14 Pennsylvania State University |
1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | – | 13 |
| No. 17 University of Colorado | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | 15 |
| Colorado Goals: | Tyler Patay (5); Benjamin Budic (2); Matteo Petty (2); Luke Shropshire (2); Nico Madrid (2); Ryan Bannon; Lachlan Nagel | |||||
| Penn State Goals: | Ryan McLaughlin (5); Danny Crump (2); Jacob Harkins (2); Louie Porter (2); Liam McMillin; Nathan Weaver | |||||
| Saves: | Colorado – Tyler Armstrong (4, 7 minutes), Austin Dale (5, 21 minutes); Penn State – Dan Tumolo (10) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Colorado – 11 ; Penn State – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Colorado – 2-for-7 ; Penn State – 3-for-11 | |||||
| Sprints: | Colorado – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Penn State – 1-for-4 (2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Michael Schofield, Ted Bresnahan | |||||
Pennsylvania State University’s Dan Tumolo (#1)
University of Colorado’s Matteo Petty (#24) lines a shot in front of Pennsylvania State University’s Kerr Redner (#14)
Pennsylvania State University’s Danny Crump (#2) rises above the University of Colorado’s Ethan Apaliski (#11)
University of Colorado’s Luke Shropshire (#2)
