Penn men's lacrosse takes on St. Joe's on Tuesday

While it may not be a home matchup, Penn men’s lacrosse will not have to venture far for its game on Tuesday as it visits a local foe.

In the midst of their earliest week of play in program history, the Quakers will travel to take on Saint Joesph’s, seeking to defend their undefeated mark against the Hawks.

Tuesday’s contest marks the second game of the Red and Blue’s season following their season opener against UMBC on Saturday. After receiving permission from the Ivy League to start their season a week earlier than normal, coach Mike Murphy and the team have chosen to stack nonconference games in February and March rather than in April, a tactic that Penn has employed in previous years.

“Our guys are generally more fresh in February than they are in April so it makes more sense to play that way,” Murphy said. “There’s such an emphasis on the Ivy League games that the only way we can have a full week to prepare for each of them is if we play more games in February and March.”

Penn (1-0) also faced the Hawks a year ago on a Tuesday after its first game of the season. Including that victory, the Quakers have won all 11 matchups between the two squads but there are no guarantees what the outcome will be this time around.

Last season, St. Joe’s finished 11-4 and won its conference. Like the Red and Blue, the Hawks (1-1) have some key new players to accompany their previously strong crew, which proved true in a win this past weekend against High Point.

“I think they’re more talented [this year],” Murphy said. “They’ve got a transfer who is on the first midfield line and their attack is a year older.

“They’re a good team. This is going to be a battle for us.”

However, Penn also has a strong hand of its own to bring to the table. In addition to their 10 starters, the Quakers rotated in seven extra men in Saturday’s game, showing the true depth of this 2015 team. Additionally, several of the key players from the Red and Blue’s victory over UMBC were some of the younger members of the team, including freshmen Reilly Hupfeldt and Kevin McGeary.

One big difference for Penn, however, is the task of choosing who will fill the position of starting goalkeeper. With recent graduate Brian Feeney having played almost every minute of his four-year stint with the Red and Blue, junior Jimmy Sestilio and senior John Lopes are vying for the coveted spot with little experience between them.

“They’ll both get a shot at it again until one really separates himself,” Murphy said. “They’ve both earned the right to be in there and that’s the way we’re going to go for now.”

Because Penn is still so early in its schedule, the name of the game is improvement for the Quakers.

“Given the fact that it’s late February, we want to make some steady progress this time of year,” Murphy said.

And based off of Saturday’s performance, there is the most room for improvement in clearing the ball, which according to Murphy saw problems that were “mostly self-imposed.”

Although the Red and Blue have room for improvement, there is a bright side surrounding Tuesday’s contest. Because both squads recruit locally, many athletes will face former high school teammates as they battle the first of three Pennsylvania squads.

However, regardless of the distance between the two schools, once it begins, Tuesday’s matchup will be anything but friendly.

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