After Hobart (6-4) scored the go-ahead goal with 1:30 remaining in Saturday's game, the Penn State men's lacrosse team was playing for more than just a win.

A victory would bounce the Nittany Lions (3-5) back to .500 and keep their hopes alive for a bid to the NCAA tournament.

A loss would put Penn State two games below the hash and practically out of contention for a second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.

After going one-for-one on offensive possessions, and trailing by a goal, the Lions had one last chance to turn their season around. With 4.8 seconds remaining, Penn State retained possession after the ball went out of bounds. Penn State men's lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel immediately signaled for a timeout and set up a play to try to tie the game.

The play couldn't have been drawn out any better nor could it have been executed more effectively. Charging toward the net and out of Penn State's defensive zone, Will Cutler sprinted toward the cage and fired a shot.

Just a second before the game clock read all zeros, Cutler scored his fourth goal on the afternoon, which knotted the game at seven sending it into overtime.

"I looked toward the score board, and it said all zeros," Penn State men's lacrosse assistant coach Lars Tiffany said. "It was like a home run in the top of the ninth with two outs, and Cutler dives and made that play."

But the fairytale ends there for Penn State.

And the fate of the Lions season was decided just 30 seconds into overtime.

Penn State won the faceoff, but an inadvertent whistle gave the Statesmen the ball on the alternating possession. Ten seconds later, Hobart midfielder Chris Scanlon caught a pass and fired a shot just 12 yards out and clinched an 8-7 victory over the Lions.

"There's no doubt it's a hard blow to take," Tiffany said. "We're definitely down and out right now."

He said despite the loss, he was satisfied with the Lions' performance overall, particularly the defensive effort.

However, Penn State's failure to clear the ball on 13 attempts, and allowing Hobart to dominate the offensive end for the majority of the game called for a solid show by Penn State goaltender Josh LaGrow. He allowed just seven goals and collected 13 saves after playing the entire game with the exception of serving a penalty.

Cutler also rose to the occasion, as it has been in his nature to step up when the offense needs him most. Earlier in the season, Cutler notched five goals as well as the game-winner in Penn State's 11-10 victory over Denver.

Against Hobart, Cutler's four goals and the buzzer-beater to tie the game looks irrelevant in the distressing defeat, but his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

"He is really turning it on," Tiffany said. "He's a big-time player for us."

Half of the Lions' games this season have been decided by one goal, but Saturday's loss proves to be the most heart wrenching.

"One-goal losses are hard because you can look back at the whole game and figure out what you have done wrong," Tiffany said.