Skip to main content

In June 2015, Penn State goalie Connor Darcey died at 21 in a car accident. His death rocked the Penn State community and the lacrosse world at large.

On November 3, a 68-minute documentary about Darcey’s life and legacy will begin streaming on Vimeo. “16,” written, directed and produced by Penn State alum Paddy Cotter, features striking, emotional interviews with Darcey’s parents, friends and teammates.

According to The Roanoke Times, Darcey and a friend were out for a night in Boston — near Darcey’s home in Wellesley, Massachusetts — and tried to order a rideshare home before realizing their phones were dead. They entered a 7-Eleven to charge their phones when another customer in the store offered to drive them home. Darcey sat in the front passenger seat while his friend sat in the rear.

Within seconds of leaving the store, the car crashed and overturned, killing Darcey and the driver. Authorities later discovered the driver was drunk and under the influence of cocaine.

Penn State’s starting goalie in 2015, Darcey played all but two minutes that spring. He posted a 10.07 goals-against average and .553 save percentage, making 10 or more saves in 11 of 14 contests. He was named the first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after winning the first start of his collegiate career, a 15-save season-opening victory over Vermont. Darcey was selected to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after making 17 saves in a 14-9 semifinal loss to eventual conference champion Johns Hopkins.

To learn more about “16,” head to the documentary’s official website.