NEWBERG, Ore. — Ryan McLaughlin (So, Blue Bell, Pa.) scored eight times to claim Player of the Game recognition as the No. 10-ranked/Mid-Atlantic Division Champion Nittany Lions of Pennsylvania State University held off No. 5/Texas Division Champion the University of Texas, 15-13, in the final game of the 2022 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship’s opening round at the Chehalem Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Courtesy the win, Penn State advances to face No. 3/Big Ten Division Champion the University of Michigan at 9:00 a.m. Pacific on Saturday, November 12, in the tournament’s quarterfinals. Michigan punched its ticket into the quarterfinals via a 17-10 defeat of tournament host/Northwest Division runner-up Oregon State University in the event’s opening game.
Texas – which previously finished Second (2010, 2017), Third (2012), Fifth (2019), Sixth (2005, 2009, 2014, 2018), Eighth (2013, 2015), Ninth (2021), 11th (2004) and 13th (2003) at the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship – will face Oregon State at 9:50 p.m. this evening in the consolation side of the championship bracket with hopes of claiming three consecutive wins to notch a Ninth Place finish in the 16-team championship field.
Penn State – which holds prior runner-up (1998), Seventh (2016), Eighth (2014), 10th (2009, 2015, 2017), 11th (2012) and 12th (2005) Place marks – trailed only once in the game as Texas pulled ahead 6-5 prior to halftime.
Following the break, the Nittany Lions rattled off a 5-0 run in the first four and a half minutes of the third quarter to go ahead 10-6. Texas rallied back to close the gap to one at 10-9 with 47 seconds remaining in the third quarter and again at 11-10 with 5:34 left in the fourth quarter.
The lead swung back and forth between one (12-11, 13-12, 14-13) and two goals (12-10, 13-11, 14-12) prior to Ethan Lionetti (Sr., Perkasie, Pa.) delivering some insurance with 31 seconds left on the game clock for the 15-13 finale.
For Penn State, Jake Berring (Sr., Ambler, Pa.) and Danny Crump (Fr, Blue Bell, Pa.) joined McLaughlin in posting multi-goal games as the duo delivered three and two markers, respectively. Matthew Fencel (So., Camp Hill, Pa.) and Lionetti both tacked on solo scores.
In cage, Evan Mancini (Jr., Lansdale, Pa.) stopped eight shots to earn the win for PSU, while Ben Thomas (Fr., Euguene, Ore.) turned aside a pair of shots to take the loss for the Longhorns.
Hugh Flanders (So., Danville, Calif.) and Zachary de Haaff (Jr., Menlo Park, Calif.) both scored four times for Texas, with Tyler Barber (Fr., Houston, Texas) chipped in a trio. Blake Carpenter (Jr., Palos Verdes, Calif.) and Andrew Carpenter (Fr., Palos Verdes, Calif.) both found the back twine once to complete the Longhorns’ scoring output.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 5 University of Texas |
3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | – | 13 |
| No. 10 Pennsylvania State University | 3 | 2 | 6 | 4 | – | 15 |
| Penn State Goals: | Ryan McLaughlin (8); Jake Berring (3); Danny Crump (2); Matthew Fencel; Ethan Lionetti | |||||
| Texas Goals: | Hugh Flanders (4); Zachary de Haaff (4); Tyler Barber (3); Blake Carpenter; Andrew Carpenter | |||||
| Saves: | Penn State – Evan Mancini (8) ; Texas – Ben Thomas (2) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Penn State – 6 ; Texas -12 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Penn State – 3-for-12 ; Texas – 5-for-6 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | MD – Zach Kittleson (Texas, 5:32 left in 4th Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Gene Gill, Jahn Trutna | |||||
Pennsylvania State University’s Kerem Tan Kocyildirim (#2) looks for an opening as the University of Texas’ Joe Lofgren (#12) defends
University of Texas’ Hugh Flanders (#14) rises to shoot over Pennsylvania State University’s Brien Yaglenski (#6)
Pennsylvania State University’s Evan Mancini (#1)
