M. Lax routs Villanova at home

The men's lacrosse team won bragging rights in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon. Dominating a rain-drenched contest, the Quakers defeated Villanova, 20-9, snapping a five-game losing streak. Spirit and enthusiasm were keys to the Penn victory. The Quakers (5-8) came into the game as favorites and enjoyed playing from this unfamiliar position of power. "Sometimes I think we might be a little intimidated by a highly-ranked team," midfielder Brian Napolitano said. "We were playing with confidence, and you can see the difference." The first period belonged to the Quakers, who scored six straight goals. Attacker John Ward began the offensive blast with a goal in the first minute of play. Ward followed it up two minutes later with a dribbler through a mass of fallen players in front of the Villanova net. The Wildcats bounced back in the second quarter, as attackers Kevin Crowley and David Marks combined on a quick goal. But the Quakers held firm, matching Villanova score for score. "We came out and played hard, especially in the second half," Napolitano said. "We were playing a lot harder. We didn't have any letdowns." The game was not even as close as it appeared. Penn had two goals reversed during the contest. In the middle of the second quarter, Ward fired a shot, then celebrated. However, the ball had not crossed the goal line, bouncing off the right post before it actually entered the goal. At the end of the third quarter, the Quakers scored as the buzzer sounded, only to have that goal disallowed by the referees. The Quakers credit their high-powered offensive effort for the victory. According to midfielder Dan Connell, Napolitano had "the game of his career," contributing four goals and two assists for his highest offensive total ever. Ward scored seven goals and assisted on another. Ten Penn players -- including defender Joe Mauro -- participated in the onslaught, pummeling both Villanova starting goalie Marc Cadin and his replacement, Andrew Fabrizio. "We hustled and played hard," Penn coach Terry Corcoran said. "Everybody made a contribution. Even the guys standing in the rain on the sideline were into the game." Both teams had to put up with abominable conditions, as rain transformed the Franklin Field astroturf into a skating rink. "After the first faceoff you don't feel it anyway," Napolitano said. Penn entered the game with nothing to lose, having already finished winless in the Ivy League for the first time since 1979. Finally the favorites, the Quakers played with strength and stamina they have not shown since early in the season. "We've had kind of a tough streak, when we've been coming up a little bit short," Corcoran said. "They came out and worked real hard today. We're going to finish strong, which is important."