Down but not out. That was the message that the seniors on the men's lacrosse team were preaching heading into the game against Brown on Saturday.
"There was a lot of motivation to finish 3-3 and not 2-4 in the Ivy League," senior David Cornbrooks said. "It's pretty easy to get up for a game like this."
A 12-10 victory over the Bears (6-5, 1-3 Ivy) helped breathe new life into Penn (6-5, 3-3 Ivy) before its final two games as it fights for a postseason berth.
"Anytime you go against a team in your league and go up to their place and get a win, it's a good thing," coach Brian Voelker said. "And more than anything, it keeps our playoff hopes alive."
Things weren't as bright heading into the weekend. Penn certainly did not look like a team trying its best after a disappointing 10-5 loss to Princeton on Tuesday.
And the Bears jumped out to a 3-1 lead against sluggish Penn.
But there was a hint of what would follow when Cornbrooks scored off a feed from sophomore Craig Andrzejewski.
The two would show up on the scoreboard eight more times, and combine for a total of six goals and four assists.
Andrzejewski, though, was not happy with his effort in that first period.
"In the first quarter, I got off to a slow start, took some bad shots," he said. "But I was lucky and I started to get on a roll in the second quarter."
Cornbrooks and Andrzejewski helped spark the team in the second quarter, as the Quakers took a 6-3 halftime lead.
The game may have been out of reach for Brown if not for the stellar play of their goalie, sophomore Jordan Burke. He made 17 saves in the game, frustrating the Quakers with every one.
"He's a left-hander, and we had trouble with that," Andrzejewski said.
"We shot the ball stickside high a lot, which you can't do against good goalies," Voelker said.
The Quakers kept their composure and stayed patient.
"We knew that if we were able to keep shooting, we'd get our goals," Cornbrooks said.
Penn goalie Chris Casey and his defense were a big reason Penn came out on top. Even though the Quakers gave up 10 goals, they said they made the stops they had to.
Brown "might have felt they had a chance to tie the game, but he made some big saves for us," Voelker said of his netminder.
Cornbrooks attributed the defensive success that to a higher energy level and focus than in previous games.
"We got those groundballs, made the stops on defense," he said. "We communicated better in our third."
The captain knows that it's part of his duty to get the team to communicate well. And he knows that his last chance to make the playoffs is a slim one.
But "we know how good we can be," Cornbrooks said.
