Penn men's lacrosse stumbles in overtime loss at Harvard, 8-7

If only the numbers better reflected the play.

Though the board showed an 8-7 overtime loss for No. 14 Penn (6-4, 2-3 Ivy) at Harvard (6-6, 2-2) on Saturday, the Quakers fought a good fight in the fourth quarter, tying the score at 7-7 before falling in extra time.

Deceiving numbers appear to be a trend in the league. Though the Crimson’s overall and Ivy records show a .500 win percentage, their games have come very close against some very tough opponents, including a 14-12 loss to league-leading Cornell earlier this month.

At the start of the final quarter, the Red and Blue trailed, 6-3. But by the 4:43 mark, freshman attack Nick Doktor, sophomore attack Isaac Bock, and junior defense Alex Blonsky had all scored to keep the Quakers in the running.

With 2:05 left, Harvard freshman attack Ian Ardrey got one past junior goalkeeper Brian Feeney to give the Crimson a one-point lead, but in an exciting last minute, Penn senior attack Tim Schwalje tied the score at 7-7 on an assist from freshman midfield Mark Leonhard.

Heading into overtime, the Quakers got off on the wrong foot, losing the faceoff to the Crimson. Things went from bad to worse when an interference penalty was called on the Quakers during a Harvard possession.

The Quakers outshot the Crimson, 43-26, but it was Crimson sophomore goalie Harry Krieger who ultimately saved their skins. Harvard’s win marks its first over a ranked opponent since May 16, 2011, when the Crimson also beat then-No. 14 Penn in the Ivy semifinals.

Penn finishes out Ivy play next Saturday at home against Dartmouth.

SEE ALSO

Penn men’s lacrosse heads to Cambridge trying to stay in title hunt

Penn men lacrosse’s Bock follows in his family’s footsteps

Penn men’s lacrosse dominates Brown, 10-3

Penn men’s lacrosse to face familiar foe

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