Big win over Big Red

After suffering its first loss of the season last weekend, the Penn men's lacrosse team returned to Franklin Field ready to prove that its opening six-game win streak was no fluke.

And the Quakers proved it against the second-best team in the nation.

Led by its stout defense and a flurry of goals from its senior captains, No. 18 Penn upset highly touted No. 2 Cornell, 8-6, on a rain-filled Saturday afternoon.

The victory put the Quakers (7-1, 2-1 Ivy) right in the middle of the Ivy title race as they put an exclamation point on an already-impressive turnaround from last year's 2-11 season.

"I think this is a big win, no matter what," Penn coach Brian Voelker said of what was arguably the biggest victory in his four-year tenure at Penn. "Our kids came out to play today, all day, ... against a very good team.

"Obviously, it's a big win for our team -- it's a big win in the Ivies, a big win against a confident team. It's a good feeling."

The Big Red (6-1, 1-1) came into Saturday's game unbeaten and boasting the best offense in the nation, scoring 13 goals per game.

Combine that with the Cornell only allowing 4.3 goals per game, second-best in the country, and it's obvious why the Big Red was outscoring its opponents by 8.5 goals per game, the largest margin in the nation.

But Penn made sure that Cornell wouldn't reach any of those numbers on Saturday.

After a close first half, the Quakers managed to hold the Big Red scoreless for nearly 24 minutes between the third and fourth periods.

On the other side of the field, Penn seniors James Riordan and D.J. Andrzejewski found ways to penetrate the imposing Cornell defense, using bouncing shots to rally off five consecutive goals.

"I thought Cornell was very talented and very good, but I also thought if we played a great game we could beat them," Voelker said. "I told our kids that all week, and they came out and really responded."

By the eight-minute mark in the final period, the Quakers had turned a 5-3 deficit into an 8-5 lead, and the Penn fans were smelling an upset.

But the Big Red still had plenty of fight left in it, barraging Penn goalie Greg Klossner with 11 shots in the final six minutes of the contest; a Penn interference penalty in the final minute made the situation even more anxious.

But Klossner only let one shot get by, and the Quakers walked off with a two-goal margin in their most impressive victory of the year.

Penn senior defenseman Joseph Shanagan credited the team for playing some of its best lacrosse of the year in the second half.

"The first thing we had to do was settle down a little bit," Shanagan said. "We got a little nervous in the first half."

The Quakers also had a chance to fold after a potential game-tying goal was taken away because of a crease violation just over two minutes before halftime, forcing the Quakers to head into the locker room down 4-3.

Instead, the Quakers responded as Klossner held the Big Red offense in check with six second-half saves.

Andrzejewski would finally tie up the score with an acrobatic running shot with just more than a minute left in the third period.

From there, Riordan netted two straight goals to effectively put the game away for the Red and Blue.

"We just kept plugging, and they started going in," Andrzejewski said. "This is a great win, and we're still rolling, so watch out for us."

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