Big Red lax playing in the shadows, but still shining

The Cornell men’s lacrosse team is in unfamiliar territory this season.

It’s hard to argue against a No. 7 national ranking and a 6-1 (1-0 Ivy) record, but with March Madness in full swing and Cornell basketball’s recent Sweet Sixteen bid, Big Red lacrosse may be playing second fiddle to basketball with regards to national prominence.

That’s just fine for Penn.

Just two days after Cornell lost to Kentucky on the hardwood, the Quakers will host the NCAA lacrosse runner-up, Cornell, at Franklin Field tomorrow.

The Red and Blue (4-4, 0-1 Ivy) have been outscored by Cornell 54-21 in the teams’ last three matchups, meaning that Penn’s senior class has gone its entire collegiate career without stopping the Big Red.

And after their fourth consecutive loss to Princeton last week, this group of seniors is trying not to let two Ivy opponents go undefeated against them.

“I’m proud of the way we responded [to the Princeton loss],” senior Rob McMullen said. “Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we’re going to go out there and try to take one from a great team on Saturday.”

McMullen may be one of only two seniors to register a goal this season, but the six-foot attack is making every play count.

After scoring just five times last year, the reigning Ivy League Player of the Week has tripled his output this season, leading Penn with 15 goals.

Coach Mike Murphy noted that as a crease player, McMullen has a key role on the inside of the offense.

“A lot of teams slide from the inside, so when they do that they leave him open for a brief second,” Murphy said.

“Our offense as a whole is a lot better than it was last year,” McMullen added. “When the attack team’s playing better, that’s when the crease guys are open, so I think that’s been the biggest difference this year.”

Murphy, McMullen and senior Justin Lynch all noted Cornell’s propensity to push out on defense, pressuring farther from its goal than other teams.

That strategy could provide an interesting contrast to an offensive-minded Quakers squad.

“We play four attack men every game,” Murphy said. “Usually we play nine offensive middies every game.”

Still, most of the offense starts with Lynch.

The co-captain is proving his worth each week, taking nearly every face-off opportunity the Quakers have had, and winning them at a 55 percent clip.

Lynch has more than twice as many ground balls (57) as anyone else on the team, but he’ll face a staunch opponent in Cornell’s Austin Boykin, whose 63-percent face-off win percentage is fourth in the nation.

In turn, possession will be a critical factor for Penn, which relies on a multitude of weapons — the Quakers have had six different goal-scorers in seven of eight games this year.

For the Big Red, whose only loss came against top-ranked Virginia, Saturday’s matchup is another step toward a return to the national championship.

For Penn, a win tomorrow would be a benchmark victory for the seniors, but it’s still just another conference battle.

“We want to reach the postseason,” Murphy said. “The first step toward doing that is to win a game in the Ivy League, and that’s Cornell this week.”

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