It was slated as the biggest conference game of the year and a chance to avenge a three-year losing streak against No. 15 Cornell. But the No. 20 Penn men's lacrosse team fell short of its goals Saturday in a 13-7 loss to the Big Red in Ithaca, N.Y.
On a rain-soaked Shoellkopf Field, the Quakers (4-3, 1-1 Ivy) dug themselves a hole they could not overcome, falling behind the Big Red, 13-4, by midway through the final quarter.
Despite scoring three goals in the final six minutes, the Quakers could not get any closer. Penn had its three-game winning streak snapped, and remained winless on the road.
"We were outplayed by a very good team in Cornell," Penn coach Brian Voelker said. "They executed well and had key contributions from most of their top players."
The Big Red (5-2, 2-0 Ivy) opened the scoring with four straight goals to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Sophomore attackman Sean Greenhalgh scored the first three of his game-high six goals in the contest's opening 11:17.
Greenhalgh, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a preseason All-America honorable mention, increased his tally to 22 goals over the past four contests while scoring on all six of his shots against Penn.
"We were prepared for Greenhalgh and we knew he was their leading scorer going into this game," senior co-captain Evan Weinberg said. "But we didn't fundamentally play our game and defensively fell apart."
The Quakers countered Greenhalgh's performance with goals by senior defenseman Stephen Brown and junior midfielder Will Phillips in the final 1:32 of the first period, drawing Penn to within two.
In the second period, however, the Big Red tallied three goals while holding the Quakers scoreless. Cornell junior midfielder Andrew Collins added a goal and an assist to give the Big Red a 7-2 halftime lead.
After Greenhalgh extended the lead to 8-2 on a man-up advantage 3:12 into the second half, the Red and Blue offense came alive. Freshmen Dave Andrzejewski and Chase McGowan scored three minutes apart to pull Penn back within four with 3:44 to play in the third.
The Big Red were not to be outdone, as Greenhalgh and Collins combined for three more goals as Cornell scored five unanswered to end the third quarter and start the fourth, giving Cornell a commanding 13-4 lead.
Phillips' second goal of the game -- as well as goals from senior co-captain Alex Kopicki and freshman James Riordan -- came too late for Penn.
The Quakers were led by Phillips, whose two goals and two assists extended his points streak to 12 games. Junior Ethan Haire won 13 faceoffs and senior Mark Gannon recorded three saves in the loss.
"This wasn't our best all around game, and it was an emotional loss since none of the seniors ever beat Cornell in their careers," Weinberg said.
Despite the emotional loss, the Quakers will face off today against an even stronger opponent, No. 3 Princeton. The Quakers will try to put the Cornell game behind them as they try to defeat last year's Ivy League champs and national runner-up in the NCAA Tournament.
"The sign of a good team is how they respond to adversity," Weinberg said. "We know going in that Princeton is tough but not unbeatable."
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