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Senior midfielder Trent DiCicco (18) winds up to pass during Ohio State’s 12-9 loss to No. 7 Penn State at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Sunday. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

The Ohio State men’s lacrosse team seemed to have all the momentum against the highly ranked Nittany Lions Sunday.

Even so, it didn’t carry through as Penn State stormed back in the second half.

The Buckeyes (5-5, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) 12-9 at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium after blowing a five-goal lead. Ohio State has only won one out of its last five, a victory against Detroit Mercy on March 12.

“I feel like this has kind of been a theme for this group,” head coach Nick Myers said. “Right there, but not able to get over the hump against quality teams.”

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions started off the game slow with neither team establishing momentum early in the first quarter. Ohio State put up multiple shots-on-goal in the front half of the first, but Penn State was able to strike first with a goal from midfielder Mac Costin off an assist from senior attacker Jake Morin.

Ohio State’s offensive struggles did not last long after the Costin goal, as a pushing penalty called on Penn State’s sophomore defenseman Alex Ross allowed Buckeye junior midfielder Alex Marinier to score a man-up goal off an assist from attacker Kurt Bruun.

The Marinier goal paved the way for the Buckeyes to go on a six-goal scoring run, with junior attackers Ed Shean and Ben Mayer pushing in goals for Ohio State before the end of the first.

The Buckeyes dominated faceoff wins in the first half, winning eight to Penn State’s five. This discrepancy allowed Ohio State to establish momentum and control the tempo of the game with almost every goal scored coming off of a faceoff win.

Despite the Buckeyes’ dominance on the offensive side of the field, the Ohio State defense began to waver with the Nittany Lions scoring three goals within two minutes, thanks to Penn State sophomore Chase Mullins winning three consecutive faceoffs against Buckeye graduate Tommy Burke.

Ohio State attempted to take the momentum back before halftime with a goal from sophomore midfielder Blake Eiland, giving it a 7-4 lead at the break.

“Momentum’s a funny thing,” Shean said. “It’s all about how you swing and how you can respond to swings.”

Penn State opened up the second half with standout freshman goalie Caleb Fyock committing two turnovers in back-to-back Ohio State possessions early in the third, allowing Nittany Lion junior forward Matt Traynor to score off an assist from attacker TJ Malone.

The Nittany Lions were able to capitalize on Ohio State’s mistakes and turn them into points with Traynor and Costin both putting in goals, tying the game up at seven apiece entering the final quarter of the game.

Penn State remained in control in the fourth, scoring less than two minutes into the quarter off of a Buckeye turnover and taking an 8-7 lead — its first of the game since the opening quarter.

Shean tied the game at eight apiece with 6.5 minutes remaining in the fourth. However, the Nittany Lions continued to win faceoffs, allowing them to go on a four-goal scoring run in spite of a late goal from sophomore attacker Matt Caputo. Myers said this is an area to refine.

“We gotta improve in all areas,” Myers said. “The guys will look at this tape and it’ll be frustrating.”

The Buckeyes will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey, to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.