The Makings of Mac O’Keefe, Division I Goals King
Fri Apr 23 2021 | Nelson Rice | College
Mac O’Keefe needed four minutes and 19 seconds to put the NCAA career goals record behind him at least on the stat sheet and in the record book.
As the wave of congratulations poured in on social media and onto his cellphone that ran out of battery back inside Penn State’s locker room, O’Keefe remained focused on the task on the field. The Nittany Lions still trailed by one. With 3:02 remaining in the second quarter of a Big Ten battle against Michigan, O’Keefe received a pass from TJ Malone at the top of the key and unleashed his trademark underhand stroke.
11:46 pm
In Men’s Lacrosse news, Mac O’Keefe made history this past weekend. His 6 Goals including the Game Winner in Overtime against Michigan helped him become the NCAA’s All-Time Leading Goal Scorer. He passed Duke’s Justin Guterding for the all time lead. Guterding needed 75 games to break the record while O’Keefe needed just 64. Up next for the Nittany Lions will be a trip to Ohio State on Saturday.
No surprise here. Mac O Keefe is the @B1GLacrosse Offensive Player of the Week. #WeAre Broke @NCAALAX career goals record Scored six goals in 14-13 win over Michigan Last goal won game with 3 seconds left in OT pic.twitter.com/Q8VhhBPiWR Penn State Men’s Lacrosse (@PennStateMLAX) April 20, 2021
In that match, O’Keefe broke the NCAA career goals record, topping former Duke attackman Justin Guterding’s previous record of 212 career goals. O’Keefe now has 217 goals under his belt with a few games to spare.
Head coach Jeff Tambroni
said it was a “storybook ending” for O’Keefe to break the record on Senior Day at Panzer Stadium. He racked up eight points (six goals, two assists) during the match, including netting the game-winning score with three seconds remaining in overtime.
There was just 7:33 left in the second quarter of Penn State men’s lacrosse’s battle against Michigan Friday evening. Then, Mac O’Keefe took the ball and launched it into the back of the Wolverines’ net to score his NCAA-record 213th career goal.
His teammates, coaches, and the fans in Panzer Stadium erupted with exhilaration.
“I sort of blacked out in the moment, to be honest, but it was very special,” O’Keefe said after the game. “There has been a lot of build-up. I haven’t tried to let it affect me too much, but to do it now, and after the game, to reflect a little bit and watch those videos from all those people congratulating me, it’s really awesome. I like to share this moment with my family and all my teammates and move on from there and hopefully win some games after this.”
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