Penn Athletics Weekend MVP: Simon Mathias

With a performance that saw him tie a career-high in points in Penn’s 10-9 victory over Cornell, this week’s Penn Athletics Weekend MVP goes to men’s lacrosse’s sophomore Simon Mathias.

The Quakers (4-3, 1-1 Ivy) needed a win this weekend after dropping their Ivy opener to Princeton last weekend, and this one was certainly well fought. While Mathias and the Quakers jumped out to a 6-4 lead by the middle of the third quarter, including two goals from Mathias, the Big Red came back to take a 9-7 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth.

But Penn turned the momentum back in its favor, scoring the final three goals of the game to take the win. Mathias was crucial in this period, earning an assist on both the game-tying and game-winning goals.

Mathias finished the day with six points, tallying three goals and three assists. In addition to tying a career-high in points, his three assists established a new career-high. His shooting was also very efficient, as he notched his three goals on just four shots on goal en route to his fourth hat trick of the season.

The sophomore from Ridgefield, Conn. has been Penn’s biggest offensive threat this season. He leads the team in goals, assists and shots, and has constantly created problems for opposing defenses. His three goals also prolonged a now five-game streak of at least two goals scored for the attacker.

Mathias’ performance was instrumental for the Quakers, who are now back on their feet following that thrashing by Princeton last weekend that put them behind in the Ancient Eight title chase. If the sophomore can continue his bright form, Penn might be able to keep itself in the hunt for a long-awaited Ivy League championship and run into the NCAA Tournament.

And with the bulk of Ivy play coming up in the next few weeks, Penn will certainly be looking for Mathias to keep up his MVP-worthy performances.