Following an impressive near victory against the highly-regarded Blue Jays of Johns Hopkins, the Penn men's lacrosse team was determined to prove itself during a two-week stretch that featured matches against non-Ivy rivals Villanova, Lehigh and Army.
After cracking the top 25 with victories over Villanova and Lehigh, the No. 19 Quakers were unable to overcome a strong Army attack Saturday, as an early 4-0 deficit proved insurmountable. The 12-7 loss evened Penn's record to 2-2.
Coming into the season, Penn coach Brian Voelker knew his Quakers would face some of their strongest competition early. With a lineup that included a host of young and inexperienced players, he knew that forecasting his team's success would be a difficult task.
"Realistically, I think we were hoping to go through the stretch 3-1 or 2-2. But we all felt like we could be 4-0 or 0-4," Voelker explained. "With some of the young guys we're playing and some of the open [starting] spots coming in, we really didn't know where we'd be right now."
Facing crosstown foe Villanova last Saturday, the Quakers found themselves in desperate need of a spark late in the fourth period, with the Wildcats clinging to a 5-4 lead.
After a late goal by senior captain Will Phillips tied the score at 5-5, sophomore midfielder P.J. Gilbert provided the spark, netting the winning goal with only 29 seconds left on the clock. The goal was his first of the season.
Freshman Alex Sahili and sophomore James Riordan each contributed two goals to the win.
"The 'Nova game was tough, Voelker said. "We did a good job battling back after they took the lead in the fourth quarter. 'Nova is a very good team."
Against Lehigh, Phillips led the Penn charge, scoring two goals and dishing out three assists in another impressive performance. The Ivy League Player of the Week extended his scoring streak to 21 games, dating back two seasons ago.
Riordan continued his consistent play, scoring two goals on five shots.
Despite the victory, Voelker was not impressed with his team's effort after jumping out to a 5-1 first-half lead.
"To be honest we played a little bit sloppy," he said. "We had too many turnovers, and we didn't play well defensively. We had some mental breakdowns and it overflowed to our game Saturday," against Army.
Despite a second consecutive five-point afternoon by Phillips, Penn fell victim to the Black Knights. With the score tied, 7-7, in the third period, the Quakers were unable to contain Army attackman Jim Wagner, as the sophomore went on to score three late goals en route to the 12-7 victory.
"It was not our best effort," Voelker said. "Army has a really talented attack and some pretty athletic kids. They were gunning for us and I don't think our guys were ready."
The Quakers open their Ivy League schedule at Yale this Saturday. While he expects his team to be ready, Voelker understands that his team has yet to hit its stride in the young season.
"We've played a lot of young kids, and I don't think we've figured out the right combination yet," he said. "We're a work in progress. We start our Ivy season this weekend, and we need to put [the Army loss] behind us and focus."
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