Army's Last-Ditch Comeback Effort a Split-Second Too Late

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Army had one last opportunity to tie it, drawing a penalty with 23.6 seconds remaining in Sunday’s NCAA quarterfinal against Penn State at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

After working the ball around, Jacob Morin — Army’s long-range bomber who already scored twice — received a pass at the top of the box with about 8 seconds to go.

As he attacked the cage, Penn State pole Ryan O’Connor got a stick on him. Morin slipped, the ball dislodged and a huge scrum ensued. As time ticked down, Penn State players lifted their heads to celebrate when Morin came out of the pack with the ground ball and sent a shot past a confused Jack Fracyon.

“On the last play, I saw a few sticks in the way, and I knew we had to get a shot off quick,” Morin said. “I tried to split them and come out over the top. It didn’t work out and ended up on the ground, so I tried my best to come up with the ground ball and get it off as quick as possible.”

Both sides celebrated. Penn State’s bench came out on the field to celebrate a win. Army players raised their arms in celebration of what they thought was the game-tying goal. The officials reviewed the play.

Upon review, it was determined that Morin released the ball after the clock hit zero. The call was “no goal,” and the game ended with a Penn State victory, 10-9.

CONFIRMED. THE PARTY IS ON FOR @PennStateMLAX.

Wow everyone catch your breath.

What a game. pic.twitter.com/zOxb1D6BU0

— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) May 21, 2023

Army head coach Joe Alberici gave credit to his team for even being in that position by the end of the game.

“Today, I wouldn’t call that our best. Yet, they just grinded away and still found a way to be maybe a second too late, I guess,” he said. “They still found a way to put themselves in a position to win. That’s representing the jersey. I’m incredibly proud.”

Army scored two quick goals in the first five minutes of the game. Alberici thought that momentum had calmed any nerves his players might have had. Army turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, however, and Penn State scored six straight goals to take the wind out of Army’s sails. The Nittany Lions scored eight of the next nine goals, including the first in the third quarter, to take an 8-3 lead; they seemed to be in complete control.

Army clawed back. After Matt Traynor scored an extra-man goal to go up 9-4, Will Coletti won the ensuing faceoff, took the ball down the field himself and scored. That started a run of Army controlling possession on eight consecutive faceoffs. Coletti won nine out of 11 faceoffs in the second half, including all five in the fourth quarter.

That gave the Black Knights offense plenty of time to work on a comeback.

“He got hotter as the game went on,” Morin said.

“We trust in Will out there,” freshman attackman Gunnar Fellows said. “He’s a great player.”

The Black Knights defense also gave a boost. Army caused six Penn State turnovers in the third quarter, and goalie Knox Dent made six of his eight saves in the second half, turning a 7-3 halftime deficit into a one-goal game with just over 3:30 remaining.

“They all count the same, but when we were able to get ourselves into a six-on-six situation, our guys were able to win a lot of matchups,” Alberici said. “When they weren’t, Knox was able to answer the bell and then enable us to claw our way back into it.”

Army outshot Penn State 29-13 in the second half and outscored them, 6-3. It was almost 7-3. But Morin was just a split-second too late.

Unfortunately for the Black Knights, it wasn’t meant to be.

“It’s sports,” Alberici said. “That was tough for us, but real credit to our guys and the way they were able to grind away and put ourselves in a position to win.”