Penn State is going back to the final four.

Goalie Cat Rainone denied Tewaaraton finalist Olivia Hompe on a breakaway with eight seconds remaining, Rainone’s second save in the final minute, as the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions held on for a 14-12 victory over fifth-seeded Princeton in an NCAA quarterfinal Sunday in State College, Pa.

Penn State will play top-seeded Maryland in the NCAA semifinals Friday in Foxborough, Mass. Surprise quarterfinal winners Boston College and Navy will meet in the other semifinal.

The Nittany Lions (17-3), who ended a 17-year championship weekend drought last year and nearly upended North Carolina in the semifinals, booked their return trip in thrilling fashion. Penn State and Princeton punched back and forth in Sunday’s quarterfinal, a game which featured seven lead changes and 10 ties. Neither team led by more than two goals at any point in the contest.

"It was a battle, but we're really been battling all season long," Nittany Lions coach Missy Doherty said. "I love games like that. I loved the game today."

The Tigers (15-4), who have not been to the final four since 2004, went ahead 12-11 when Anna Doherty finished a Kathryn Hallett feed with 5:56 remaining.

The lead was short-lived, however, as 36 seconds later, Nittany Lions freshman Maria Auth, who came into Sunday with just 13 goals, pumped in her fourth of the game to tie it at 12.

Kayle Brisolari converted on a man-up, free-position opportunity for the go-ahead goal with 3:42 remaining, and Katie O’Donnell tiptoed the crease to score with 1:41 left to put Penn State ahead by two.

That did not ice the game, however. Princeton won the ensuing draw and Elizabeth George forced Rainone to range low for a save with 53 seconds remaining. The Nittany Lions cleared the ball, but Brisolari’s errant pass gave the Tigers one last chance. Hompe caught a clearing pass deep in the offensive zone and streaked toward Rainone. Hompe faked low and shot high. Rainone stuffed her — a befitting ending for a game that featured sensational goalkeeping on both sides.  Princeton’s Ellie DeGarmo, a first-team IWLCA All-American, made 16 saves in the loss.

FINAL: @PennStateWLAX 14, @princetonwlax 12. Incredible finish. Rainone denies Hompe on the breakaway and Foxborough-bound PSU keeps dancing pic.twitter.com/KYpJlCyuLB

— US Lacrosse Magazine (@USLacrosseMag) May 21, 2017

"That last save she had there at the end I was like stop jumping, stop jumping, we've still got eight seconds on the clock," laughed O'Donnell. "She played great today and she had some great momentum saves and really kept us going and kept our energy up and we were able to build off of that and take it into the offensive end." 

Penn State will get another crack at Maryland, a Big Ten adversary. The Terps edged the Nittany Lions 16-14 on April 20.

The final four will feature familiar coaches in Navy’s Cindy Timchal, the National Lacrosse Hall of Famer, and three Maryland alums who played for her in College Park in Penn State’s Missy Doherty, Maryland’s Cathy Reese and Boston College’s Acacia Walker.