The story of David and Goliath is about resilience in the face of what — on paper — seems like an overwhelming force. It says that with enough determination, some skill, and maybe a little luck, anyone can overcome the odds.
Heading into Saturday, Penn men’s lacrosse was the David to Princeton’s Goliath. The Quakers had dropped their last five games and were eliminated from postseason contention for the first time in over a decade. Meanwhile, the Tigers had lost only twice all year and were ranked second in the nation.
Unfortunately, Saturday’s version of David and Goliath didn’t have the ending the original story did, as Princeton defeated Penn 12-8. Despite the Quakers (4-9, 1-5 Ivy) leading for much of the first half, they could not withstand the Tigers (10-2, 4-1) in the second.
“[For most of the year], we’ve had fits and starts,” coach Mike Murphy said. “We either play a pretty good game at one end of the field or another, but one piece was missing, and in today’s game it was really more the second half.”
The defeat brings Penn to 3-3 on the season at Franklin Field, where the team’s 16 seniors were honored pregame — arm in arm with friends and relatives. The energy carried on throughout the afternoon with a festive air in the bleachers, contributed by the presence of the Penn Band.
Both teams’ defenses have been strong all year, and that was evident in the first quarter. The game’s first nine minutes featured just one goal — by Princeton, as the shot clock expired on the Tigers’ first possession — and plenty of defensive stands. Then, senior attacker Cam Rubin found the net from close range. A great shot from junior midfielder Griffin Scane gave the Quakers their first lead of the game.
In the final minutes of the first quarter, sophomore attacker/midfielder Davis Provost scored for the Red and Blue, as did Scane, for his second goal on the afternoon. Meanwhile, a number of Princeton shots glanced off the frame of the goal and senior goalkeeper Emmet Carroll only allowed one more goal.
The second quarter followed a similar paradigm as the first. Smith scored again — extending Penn’s lead to 5-2. But overall, the defenses were the stars of the show. However, with five minutes left, Princeton cut their deficit to two. With halftime approaching, Penn’s lead was hanging on by a thread.
The final 90 seconds of the half showcased the Quakers’ offense operating at its best. On the faceoff after Princeton’s goal, freshman faceoff specialist Stevie Davis won the ball. Once he received a pass, Provost did what he does best: score. With that and a goal from sophomore midfielder Leo Hoffman, Penn found itself with a three-goal lead at halftime.
“We played well in the first half, really in every phase,” Murphy said. “Good defense, good offense, [we] cleared the ball well.”
Coming out of halftime, Penn’s offense ground to a halt. Problems around shot selection and motion — which had plagued the Quakers all year — resurfaced in the third quarter. Despite a number of solid chances in front of Princeton goalkeeper Ryan Croddick, Penn couldn’t score for the entire period.
Unfortunately for the Quakers, Princeton’s offense wasn’t as quiet: it roared. The Tigers more than doubled their scoring count in the game, finding the back of the net five times in 15 minutes. What had been a 7-4 Penn lead at halftime was now a 9-7 advantage for Princeton heading into the fourth.
“In the second half, we started making some mistakes. The defense gave a couple of unsettled opportunities that they scored on,” Murphy said. “[We] just did not respond to their zone defense … We were attacking pretty hard in the first half, and then for whatever reason our guys played a little more passively.”
With just a quarter left in its Ivy League season, Penn was playing hard. Its efforts were rewarded shortly, when a goal by sophomore short stick defensive midfielder Jacob Pacheco invigorated the Franklin Field crowd and brought the Quakers within one. However, this was as close as Penn would get to tying the game. The Tigers’ defense held firm for the remainder of the fourth quarter, and a trio of goals put the game out of reach. When the clock hit zero, Penn had been defeated by four.
Even though the Quakers’ Ivy League season is over, they have one game left. Next Saturday, the Quakers will head to South Bend, Ind. to take on No. 9 Notre Dame.
When asked if he planned to sit anyone on his team, Murphy scoffed, saying “we’ll go out there and win the game.”
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