With their regular season coming to a close, here are four of the top crucial plays from the Penn men's lacrosse team so far. The Quakers have played eight games that have been decided by two goals or less and have had three overtime games.
Jack Schultz’s OT winner vs. then-No.7 Duke Blue Devils in the Long Island Metro Cup
In their game at the inaugural Long Island Metro Cup, the Duke Blue Devils held on to a 10-8 lead going into the fourth quarter. Duke extended the lead to 12-9, but Penn stormed back with goals from senior attacker Dylan Gergar and junior midfielder James Shipley.
With two seconds remaining in regulation, Shipley fired a shot that found the back of the net to force overtime.
In the extra period, as 25 seconds were left on the clock, Schultz found himself streaking down the left alley and snuck one past the shoulder of Duke’s goalkeeper, Mike Adler, to give the Quakers their first win of the season and a final score of 14-13.
James Shipley’s last-second goal vs. Penn State in the 2022 Crown Classic
Playing in Charlotte, N.C., the game was a bit of a homecoming for N.C. native James Shipley. In a back-and-forth game between a formidable opponent, the Quakers were up by a goal at halftime with a score of 5-4.
Penn State tied the score at 9-9 with five minutes remaining in the game, but the Red and Blue were able to keep the Nittany Lions scoreless for the rest of the game.
Then, with just one second left in the game, Shipley found himself dodging from the top down and ripped a bouncer past the stick side of the Penn State goalie to give the Quakers a 10-9 victory.
Dylan Gergar’s game-winner vs. Villanova in the Farrell Cup
In the first annual Farrell Cup, honoring the legacies of James and Michael Farrell who attended Penn and Villanova, respectively, the Quakers narrowly escaped with the victory.
Like many games for the Quakers, this was also a back-and-forth affair between the Wildcats and the Quakers. The Red and Blue took a 6-4 lead at the half but were held scoreless by a stout Villanova defense in the third quarter, allowing the game to be tied at 6-6 going into the final frame. The Wildcats took their first lead of the game with 6:54 left in regulation. With just under 80 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, James Shipley tied the game at seven with his sixth goal of the year.
Soon after, freshman Tyler Khuel came up with a big defensive stop and, sprinting down the field, found an open Gergar on the left-hand side at the 20-yard line. Gergar fired a riser shot that went soaring past the Wildcat goalie as time expired to give the Quakers an 8-7 victory.
James Shipley’s game-winner vs. No. 20 Saint Joseph’s to keep NCAA tournament hopes alive
Heading into the fourth quarter of this one, the Saint Joseph's Hawks held a 9-5 lead. That lead, though, evaporated, as Penn scored seven goals in the final frame alone.
With 3:50 left to play in the game, the Quakers were down by two scores, but junior midfielder Gabe Furey cut through the right alley and sent one past the Hawks goalkeeper. Then in the final minute, Handley fired a shot that was saved but rebounded out to Walsh, who netted it away for the game-tying goal.
In the overtime period, with 41 seconds remaining, Gergar found Shipley on the left alley, who fired home a bounce shot as he played hero for the Quakers yet again to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.
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