Ping.

It’s the sound that ignites sidelines and causes Lacrosse Twitter to lose their collective minds. It’s also a sound that Penn State sharpshooter Mac O’Keefe is used to hearing at this point in his career.

Through four-plus seasons with the Nittany Lions, O’Keefe has established himself as the top shooter in college lacrosse — combining a knack for finding space and room with pinpoint accuracy.

O’Keefe used that same formula to make history Friday at Panzer Stadium. He opened Penn State’s matchup against Michigan with a low-to-low strike — goal No. 212 in his career, tying him with Duke’s Justin Guterding Division I men’s lacrosse’s all-time record — less than three minutes into the game.

The buzz surrounding the impending milestone grew through the next 20 minutes of game time. Being face-guarded by the Wolverines, O’Keefe had few chances to set the mark until midway through the second quarter.

Penn State held possession with less than eight minutes left in the half, when Luke Mercer tossed the ball to O’Keefe some 10 yards away from the cage. O’Keefe face dodged his defender and launched a low-to-high, elevator shot that torched the top right corner of the goal, eliciting the noise that has become synonymous with the NCAA’s new Division I scoring king.

Ping.

Did you expect O’Keefe to break the record  any other way?

“Let the Lions roar,” announced play-by-play voice Joe Beninati on the Big Ten Network. “Mac O'Keefe, the greatest goal scorer in Division I men's lacrosse history.” 

GOAL NO.



What a way to do it. A top-shelf rip gives @PennStateMLAX’s O’Keefe the all-time @NCAALAX Division I men’s goals record, passing Justin Guterding. pic.twitter.com/RdPyBtRuOE

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) April 16, 2021

Within minutes of scoring goal No. 213, Penn State fans and alumni flooded social media with congratulations — while O’Keefe continued to score against Michigan.

“Greatest of all time,” tweeted Penn State legend Grant Ament, who set up a large portion of O’Keefe’s goals. “Proud to call you a teammate and friend for life. Congrats 3, love you brother.”

“Congrats brother!! We are!” tweeted Penn State alum and current PLL hopeful Chris Hogan.

“Congrats to @MacOKeefe on his accomplishment,” said newly hired Penn State basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry.

As soon as the historic shot hit the back of the cage, a weight was lifted for O'Keefe. He played calm and loose throughout the second half, helping Penn State come back to force overtime. He had five goals in regulation.

It came as no surprise that the Nittany Lions looked to the hot hand during the first overtime period. With seconds remaining in the period, Mark Sickler, standing at x, sent a pass to an open O'Keefe at the top of the offensive zone. Two seconds was all the time O'Keefe needed to catch, load and fire home the game-winner to seal a 14-13 win on a night was as much a coronation as it was a Big Ten thriller

O’Keefe decided last spring to return to Penn State for the 2021 season, hoping to continue the success that he contributed to over the previous four seasons. O’Keefe and Ament helped Penn State advance to two NCAA tournaments — including a 2019 season that featured a No. 1 ranking and a final four run.

Although Penn State’s season has not gone as expected — the Nittany Lions currently sit at 3-6 — those in Happy Valley have something to celebrate.

NOTABLE RESULTS

• Mike McCannell dropped five goals to lead No. 13 Stony Brook to the 22-8 win over Binghamton.

• Robert Morris won its third straight game, getting two goals from Ryan Smith, Colton Lidstone and Brandon Sulhoff to get past Bucknell 8-7. 

SCORES

No. 8 Lehigh 18, Lafayette 11
No. 13 Stony Brook 22, Binghamton 8
Penn State 14, Michigan 13 (OT)
Robert Morris 8, Bucknell 7
Albany, Vermont (PPD)