Penn men's lacrosse falls to rival Villanova, 17-11

Rivalry games can provide some of a team’s best moments.

As Penn men’s lacrosse learned Saturday, it can also provide some frustrating defeats.

The No. 20 Quakers (3-3) fell 17-11 to No. 19 Villanova in an intracity battle at Franklin Field. The Wildcats were fueled by hat tricks from Jack Curran (who had a game-high four goals), Eric Gartner and Danny Seibel.

“We’re just not where we need to be right now,” coach Mike Murphy said following the loss. “The biggest thing was just that they outplayed us. They played harder than we did and they were much sharper.”

The two teams traded goals for much of the first half, but Curran scored three quick goals in the second quarter to give Villanova a slim 7-5 halftime lead. The Wildcats continued the surge in the second half, outscoring the Quakers 6-1 in the third quarter and giving them a comfortable lead they would never relinquish.

“[Our defense] was the most frustrating part,” Murphy said. “We talked specifically about limiting 6 [Seibel], 9 [junior attack Johnny Gallaway] and 19 [Curran]. And when you look at the box score, they all had [several goals].”

Senior attack Isaac Bock provided a bright spot for the Quakers, scoring three goals. With the performance, Bock became the fifth different Quaker to notch a hat trick this season.

“He’s been playing well for a year and a half now,” Murphy acknowledged. “Hopefully he can take more of a leadership role in the offense and shoulder the burden along with [senior midfielder] Joe McCallion and [junior attack] Nick Doktor. “

Doktor had a goal and five assists in the losing effort. McCallion also registered a goal while adding two assists. Despite the relatively tepid performance on Saturday, McCallion still leads the team with 13 goals on the season.

Several Polo-adorned Quaker fans — perhaps frustrated that the cold weather was not commensurate with their Nantucket-casual attire — took offense to the officiating throughout the game. Midway through the third quarter, one Sperry-clad gentleman threatened to “walk out and [expletive] take [the official’s] job.”

The news of Jerome Allen’s firing came midway through the game, meaning that the game’s outcome was quickly pushed to the back of the minds of most casual Penn fans. Murphy hopes that his squad can have a similarly short memory, while still learning lessons from the frustrating defeat.

“We have to find a way to play our game,” Murphy noted. “I don’t know if it was the weather, or the opponent, but we just didn’t do things we do all the time in practice.”

The Quakers will have a chance to rebound against another rival when they kick off Ivy play against Princeton at Franklin Field next weekend.

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