M. Lax comes back to beat Bucknell

Freshman midfielder David Cornbrooks took advantage of a chance to play hero for the Penn men's lacrosse team last night at Franklin Field against Bucknell.

Taking a pass from sophomore D.J. Andrzejewski, Cornbrooks netted the decisive goal with 1:52 remaining, helping the Quakers overcome a 6-6 tie in the final minutes.

The goal elated a Penn squad that has struggled mightily down the stretch in close games this year. After losing to quality opponents Johns Hopkins, Army and Yale despite ties in the third quarter of each game, the Quakers got the break they desperately needed.

"David's goal was a big boost," senior captain Will Phillips said. "We've had a couple of games come down to the wire and we've let them slip away. We did an awesome job of not letting that happen today."

The Quakers improved their record to 3-3 with the victory, while remaining undefeated (3-0) at home this year. The Bison fell to 3-4 overall.

The game's most intense moment came in the final seconds of action, as Bucknell possessed the ball deep in Penn territory.

With 21 seconds remaining, Bucknell freshman attackman Brian Gargan looked to capitalize on what appeared to be an open Quakers net.

Without fail, Penn senior goalie Ryan Kelly used a magnificent diving effort to shield the empty net, deflecting the shot and preserving the win. The save was one of eight for Kelly on the night.

The play brought the Penn faithful to its feet, as Kelly's extra effort sealed the Quakers' victory in a game that featured four lead changes despite only 13 goals scored.

"No one could have asked him to make that save," Phillips said. "He was out of the net and made an unbelievable individual play to dive back and win the game for us."

"That was pretty nuts," added sophomore James Riordan, who contributed a goal and an assist to the Quakers' win.

While impressed with Kelly's effort, Penn coach Brian Voelker has come to expect the consistent dominance from Penn's senior netminder.

"Ryan definitely deserves this," Voelker said. "He's really played well all year and has kept us in a lot of games this year."

With three unanswered goals by sophomore P.J. Gilbert and Phillips, the Quakers jumped out to an early lead. Gilbert scored twice for his second consecutive game. Phillips extended his point streak to 24 games with a tally 10:22 into the first quarter. He would later score a second.

After allowing Bucknell to crawl back into the game, Penn successfully avoided the second- half fallout that had led to its previous three losses.

"This was a big boost," Phillips said. "We've had a couple games close this year that we've let slip away. We did a good job not letting that happen today."

Bucknell 6 -- PENN 7

First period -- 1, 4:17, Gilbert (P); 2, 2:13, Gilbert 2 (P)

Second period -- 3, 10:22, Phillips (P); 4, 8:12, Fletcher (B); 5, 3:45, Cara (B); 6, 3:12, Christensen (B)

Third period -- 7, 12:43, Phillips 2 (P); 8, 7:35, Cara 2 (B); 9, 6:28, Andrzejewski (P); 10, 5:30, Case (B)

Fourth period -- 11, 9:50, Klett (B); 12, 6:00, Riordan (P); 13, 1:52, Cornbrooks (P)

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.