Senior midfielder Sam Handley scores against Cornell during the third quarter of the game at Franklin Field on March 26.
Penn men’s lacrosse has cemented itself in the Division I national top 10, but a near-perennial thorn in the side of the Quakers loomed large this Saturday in the form of Yale University. The Elis had taken eight of the last 10 matchups between the two Ivy League foes, and on Saturday afternoon, they continued on that trend, beating the Red and Blue in overtime, 12-11, with a game-winning goal by Yale (5-2, 2-1 Ivy) freshman midfielder Chris Lyons.
Both teams entered with 4-2 records overall and 1-1 records within the Ancient Eight. The Quakers (4-3, 1-2) looked to claim the momentum for themselves, jumping out to a quick lead with a goal from senior midfielder Sam Handley, who went on to notch an additional two goals and two assists to round out a five-point day. The Bulldogs would not let that lead last long, though, evening the score and taking a one-goal lead of their own by the end of the first period.
Each team tacked three more goals on the board in the second period, bringing the score to 7-6 at halftime. It was Lyons who gave his team a lead entering the midway point of the game, getting a shot past Penn senior goalkeeper Patrick Burkinshaw as time expired in the half. It was Lyons’ second goal of the game and came shortly after an assist to fellow freshman midfielder Max Krevsky, his first goal of the season.
It was all Yale for much of the third period of play, as the Bulldogs extended their one-goal lead to three, helped by a score from freshman attacker Carson Kuhl with just under nine minutes remaining in the quarter. From then on out, however, the Quakers came back to life, ending the period down only two thanks to a goal from senior attacker Dylan Gergar. Burkinshaw shut out the Bulldogs for the entirety of the fourth period, holding them at 11 goals and allowing two goals from Handley and sophomore attacker Cam Rubin to even the score with four minutes remaining in regulation.
Unfortunately for the Quakers, the magic ran out in the subsequent overtime period, with Lyons scoring an unassisted goal to end the game in the Bulldogs’ favor, 12-11. The freshman from Medford, N.J. has been a revelation in Ivy League play for Yale, putting up three goals per game on just under 50% shooting in the team’s wins over Penn and Princeton and narrow loss at Cornell. He entered the starting lineup against the Tigers and held his spot this weekend, and he seems to be a star in the making for Yale.
For the Bulldogs, up next comes a brief break from conference play with a matchup against Boston University, while Penn continues its Ivy League blitz with a return home to face Brown (5-4, 0-2) at Franklin Field next Saturday, April 9.
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