SPARKS, Md. – With the Big Red men's lacrosse team trailing No. 20 Penn State, 6-2, late in the third quarter, Cornell sophomore Jeff Teat scored with :06 showing on the clock and then assisted on the next three goals as the Big Red pulled even, and then eventually away for a 9-7 victory over the Nittany Lions at US Lacrosse's Tierney Field in Sparks, Md.
 
Teat finished with two goals and four assists, with his final helper coming on Jordan Dowiak's game-winner with 2:02 remaining in the contest. The assist also put the sophomore sensation at 100 for his career, doing so faster than any other four-year player in Cornell history, second only to Mike French, who achieved the feat in his 16th game, but did not play his freshman season due to NCAA regulations.
 
Dowiak and Clarke Petterson both finished the game with hat tricks, as the duo accounted for all six of the Big Red's fourth quarter goals. Sophomore Sam Duggan and freshman John Piatelli rounded out the scoring for Cornell with one assist apiece.
 
The Big Red's defense was outstanding, forcing 14 Penn State turnovers, in front of senior goalie Christin Knight, who made 13 saves to earn the win.
 
Cornell (3-2) held the advantage in shots (41-29), shots on goal (22-20), and ground balls (28-21), while turning the ball over just 12 times.
 
Penn State (4-3) was led by Kevin Hill's three goals, while Nick Spillane had one goal and two assists.
 
In the circle, Gerart Arceri, one of the top face-off men in the nation, won 11-of-19 restarts, but was harassed into two turnovers. Cornell sophomore Paul Rasimowicz won 8-of-15 face-offs with three ground balls and one caused turnover.
 
The Nittany Lions won all four face-offs in the first quarter as it jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Cornell got on the board with a goal from Teat early in the second stanza, but PSU maintained a two-goal advantage at the half (4-2). The Nittany Lions eventually extended its lead to 6-2 with 5:13 remaining in the third quarter before the goal from Teat started the decisive Big Red run.
 
COACHES CORNER – PETER MILLIMAN
We won face-offs in the second half. That was a big part of the comeback for us. We started winning them on ground balls and that was a big part of the turnaround. We got some energy and the team really responded to the face-off wins. Before the game, we challenged our guys to fight on the wings and to challenge for ground balls and we won that battle today and that's the reason for the turn around.
 
I think our defense played outstanding. They [Penn State] got a few goals in that second quarter and got a little life from that, but I think our defense played steady the whole day. They were consistent and really made Penn State work for their opportunities. And I think at the end of the game their offense was a little worn down.
 
Both goalies were great today. Their goalie gave them a lot of life early. Aside from the face-offs I think the game was fairly even in the first half but their goalie made a few really big saves. Their saves came early and ours came late. Once our offense started to figure him out and feel a little bit better we got some confidence and it became tougher for them to stop us.
 
NOTES TO KNOW
* In addition to Mike French, Jack Thomas (Johns Hopkins) and Joe Cowan (Johns Hopkins) reached 100 points in their 16th and 17th game, respectively. Like French they also did not play their rookie seasons due to NCAA regulations.  
* Nationwide, among four-year players, Teat's feat matches Tim Nelson (NC State/SU) who reached 100 career points in his 18th career game during the 1983 season.
* The previous Cornell record for a four-year player was held by Rob Pannell, who reached 100 points in his 25th career game.
* Teat is the 42nd player in Cornell history to amass 100 career points.
* With the win, Cornell get its first winning record of the season.
* The Big Red also snapped a two-game losing streak to Penn State and evened its record with the Nittany Lions at 21-21.  
* The win also gives Cornell its 20th consecutive season with at least one win over a nationally ranked opponent.
 
UP NEXT
The Big Red opens up the Ivy League season next weekend when it welcomes No. 11 Yale to Schoellkopf Field on Saturday, March 17 at 1 p.m.