With just over 12 minutes to play in the game, Penn sophomore Joseph Shanagan's first collegiate goal gave the Penn men's lacrosse team a 6-5 advantage over its archrival, the Princeton Tigers, yesterday afternoon.
However, the sixth-ranked Tigers would rally with four straight goals to end the game and defeat the Red and Blue for the 15th straight time, 9-6.
"Things just really didn't go our way in the fourth quarter. ... The ball just didn't bounce our way," Penn senior Will Phillips said.
The Quakers opened up the game strong with goals by sophomores James Riordan and D.J. Andrzejewski to gain a 2-0 advantage with only 1:25 into the game.
"We came out of the gates really strong," Penn senior David DeLaney said. "I think they thought the game was going to be a walk-through for them."
The Quakers cooled off quickly, though, as the Tigers stormed back to score four unanswered first-half goals, sparked by junior attackman Jason Doneger, a 2003 honorable mention All-American.
After trailing 4-2 at the half, the Quakers battled strong in the second half to knot the score at four goals apiece, with tallies by Riordan and sophomore Alan Eberstein.
The Tigers' premier player, senior attackman Ryan Boyle, put his team back on top, 5-4, but only briefly. Penn sophomore Luke Dixson retied the score 13 seconds later, as the rivals headed into the fourth quarter even at 6-6.
Shanagan's shot past Princeton sophomore goalkeeper Dave Law was the Quakers' final tally.
In the final 10 minutes of play, the Tigers amassed four goals to build a 9-6 advantage, outshooting the Quakers 12-3 in the final frame.
After falling behind 8-6, the Quakers were called for three penalties in the final three minutes, two for unnecessary roughness and one for a slash.
"To get the penalties like that at the end of the game, it really hurts your ability to be in a game late. ... But they didn't lose the game for us," Phillips said.
Princeton 9, PENN 6
First Quarter -- 1, 14:25, Andrzejewski (PENN); 2, 13:35, Riordan (PENN); 3, 10:27, Doneger (P'ton); 4, 7:16, Sowanick (P'ton); 5, 1:30, Trombino (P'ton)
Second Quarter -- 6, 3:12, Casino (P'ton);
Third Quarter -- 7, 5:59, Riordan (PENN); 8, 5:12, Eberstein (PENN); 9, 0:36, Boyle (P'ton); 10, 0:23,Dixson (PENN)
Fourth Quarter -- 11, 12:50, Shanagan (PENN); 12, 9:54, Trombino(P'ton); 13, 8:11, Hayes (P'ton); 14, 6:37, Boyle (P'ton); 15, 0:23, Casino (P'ton)
