Brothers Chris and Reilly Hupfeldt have both helped the Red and Blue get off to a strong start to the young season.
Two games in, two wins down and it’s two brothers who helped the team get there.
If you see two tall, red-headed guys sporting Penn lacrosse gear, chances are you’re looking at Chris and Reilly Hupfeldt. Chris is a senior; his little brother, Reilly, a freshman who has recorded more goals than his seasoned brother.
After their father, Christopher, played college lacrosse, it was no surprise that his sons followed suit.
“When we were younger we played together and had a great time,” Reilly said.
“We’ve been playing together for a while through Ashbee, our club team when we were little and in high school,” Chris added.
Chris — who was injured in his freshman season — has played all 30 games since the beginning of his sophomore year for the Red and Blue, scoring 12 goals and recording 22 total points.
Beyond his success on the field, Chris’ love for Penn was infectious and, as natives of the Philadelphia area, Reilly caught it too.
“I visited a lot when he was here,” Reilly said. “From freshman year I came to a lot of the games so I knew his friends and I liked the culture and the family aspect.
“So when I got older and it came time for me to start looking at schools, Penn was definitely on the radar. It was a good fit, and everything fell into place.”
“He knew [Penn was] where he wanted to go,” Chris said. “It means a lot that he came to Penn to play with me. It’s very special for me and him and also our parents, it’s meant a lot.”
Both brothers have been integral parts in the Red and Blue’s two wins thus far, each in his own way.
“We are kind of opposite style players, he’s a tall, lefty, slasher and I’m a righty shooter,” Reilly said. “I like playing with him because we aren’t similar; we complement each other well.”
With Reilly at attack and Chris now a midfielder, both brothers have already seen success in the team’s first two games of the season. Reilly scored a goal in his first career contest before both brothers notched scores in Penn’s thrilling win over Saint Joseph’s last Tuesday.
The Quakers are no stranger to players sharing blood. The Hupfeldts join a long line of Penn lacrosse family relations — many of whom have been key players for the Red and Blue and made major contributions.
Reilly and Chris, along with the rest of the undefeated squad, will face their next test against Maryland on Tuesday.
“Hopefully we keep it going against Maryland,” Reilly said. “[It] will probably be our toughest game so far.”
As the season continues and their relationship grows even stronger, the time dwindles down for the two brothers at opposite ends of their college careers to once again be members of the same squad.
“I’ve had a great time playing with him and I look forward to the rest of the year because I won’t have that much more time to play with him as he gets older,” Reilly said.
“I’m kind of cherishing these moments because we have under 15 games left and we started out at four, five years old or even younger.”
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