The average Division I lacrosse season is pretty unforgiving.
Given a sample size of just 14 or 15 games, a program can seal its yearly fate — for better or worse — by the slimmest of margins.
Fresh off its second sudden-death overtime loss this season, No. 13 Penn (4-3, 1-1 Ivy) understands the fickle nature of the game all too well.
The Quakers will try to stay in the hunt for an Ivy League tournament bid when they host No. 15 Yale (5-1, 1-1) Friday.
Both teams sit in a three-way tie with Harvard for third in the Ancient Eight, as the Red and Blue look to stay unbeaten at home this year — as well as top the Bulldogs for the first time since 2008.
With three of their contests decided by just one goal this season, Penn knows that the season can come down to a few individual plays — and it all begins at the ‘faceoff X.’
“It’s really more like rock, paper, scissors,” said Penn coach Mike Murphy, who has entrusted freshman midfielder Danny Feeney with every opportunity as draw-control specialist so far this year.
Matching up against Yale’s Cole Yeager may be one of Feeney’s toughest tests yet. The Bulldogs’ sophomore middie wins 63 percent of his faceoffs, good enough for ninth in the country.
Though Yeager and Feeney are both listed at 5-foot-9, the former has a 20-pound advantage. Should the extra size and experience win out at the ‘X,’ Murphy may employ different personnel to mix things up.
“Danny’s our guy, we’re going to let him scrap it up for a few,” senior midfield Al Kohart said. “[Penn sophomore] Nick Richards … has a much different style — he’s a bigger, stronger kid — so if [Yeager] tries to muscle Danny out, we might throw Richards in there.”
Yale has faced the same two Ivy opponents as Penn — Cornell and Princeton — with the same results, a win and a loss. However, the Bulldogs’ higher overall winning percentage may be deceptive, as their strength of schedule ranks 55th in the nation, according to LaxPower, while the Quakers’ is third.
Murphy wouldn’t go as far as comparing competition but noted that his squad’s experience against No. 3 Duke and No. 5 North Carolina can’t hurt.
“It certainly isn’t a disadvantage,” Murphy said. “We haven’t had the luxury of playing a team we could beat on an off day.”
Kohart agreed with his coach.
“We’ve seen a faster game of lacrosse with the competition we’ve played,” the middie said. “But we’re taking [Yale] as if they’re the best team in the nation.”
Strength of schedule could also come into play around NCAA tournament time, if the Quakers don’t qualify for an automatic bid.
More important, however, is simply winning games, as the only written requirement for selection — aside from playing 10 Division I contests — is a .500 record, according to the championship handbook.
“Traditionally the Ivy League has had two teams in the NCAA league tournament, sometimes three,” Murphy said. “But it’s not going to really matter if we lose another two games in [conference].”
With a loss against Yale, Penn would put themselves in a hole for the Ancient Eight title, while a victory would send them off on a high note for their upcoming road games — they have four in April.
In the fickle world of Division I lacrosse, one big play could spark a win — or leave the team shaking their heads in defeat.
“It just makes every little mistake stick out that much more,” Kohart said of an overtime loss. “We’re two goals away from being 6-1 and top five in the country. It stings a little bit but it makes us hungrier deep down inside.
“I think we’re going to come out against Yale and prove it.”
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