M. Lax surrenders early lead, falls to 'Nova

Going into the fourth quarter Saturday, the Penn men's lacrosse team looked as if it were headed for its second straight win.

But, the talk of winning streaks proved to be premature, and Villanova launched a five-goal comeback to beat the Quakers, 8-7.

This was the second game in as many weeks in which Penn (5-7, 1-4 Ivy) suffered a last-quarter loss, dropping a tough 10-9 decision to Brown a week ago.

"It's tough to lose one like that two weeks in a row," Penn senior Evan Weinberg said. "We just need to be able to finish teams off."

Villanova (9-3) came out with an early goal, as senior Brian Marks found the net 3:31 into the game.

But, Penn would not let the Wildcats take control, and junior Ethan Haire responded, scoring his second goal in two games 5:47 later.

The Quakers took the lead in the second quarter on a goal from senior Jake Martin. With the score, Martin snapped his two-game drought. He came back to score another goal later in the game.

The Quakers went into the half up 4-3, but it was the third quarter when they extended that tenuous margin.

Martin's second goal, along with another from Haire and one from junior Will Phillips, gave the Quakers a four-goal advantage at the end of the third.

"We went into the last quarter with a nice lead," Weinberg said. "Both the offense and defense were playing really well."

The game seemed to be in the bag for the Red and Blue, but Villanova was not willing to give up so easily.

Wildcats junior Matt Lucas took the opening faceoff of the fourth quarter back to add one for Villanova, and only 30 seconds later, Marks added another.

Villanova continued its scoring run, adding three more goals before the end of the contest.

Penn was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, after a last-second attempt by sophomore Zandy Reich was stopped by Villanova freshman goalkeeper Joseph Canuso.

"We played hard," Weinberg said. "But sometimes, you have to play hard and play smart as well."

Penn coach Brian Voelker was disappointed with the game's outcome but was more than willing to give credit where it was due.

"We played hard, and it was a good effort," Voelker said. "It was a tough game to lose, and we have to give Villanova credit."

On a high note for the Red and Blue, Phillips ended the game with three goals, extending his games-scoring streak to 17. Phillips leads the Quakers in points with 24 goals and 35 points.

Last week, he broke the 20-goal mark, becoming the first Quakers athlete to achieve this feat in two years.

Coming into the game, Penn needed a win to keep its hopes alive of finishing the season with a winning record.

Though this goal may no longer be viable, the Quakers are looking to end the season on a positive note this Sunday when Yale visits Franklin Field.

The Elis are 2-3 in the Ivy League and defeated the Quakers 11-5 last season.

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