Ahead of Penn men’s lacrosse last home game of the season, where they will match up against Cornell on Alumni Day, the team has already won some thrilling victories in Taylor Wray’s first season as head coach.
With still four more games to go, the Quakers (5-4, 2-1 Ivy) have already shown improvement from last season, which ended in a seven-game losing streak and a 4-10, 1-5 Ivy record. The team’s wins and losses so far show a grit that can challenge tough competitors and overcome slow starts.
A comeback win against Dartmouth defines Ivy Play
After winning one game by one point in the Ivy League conference last year, Penn has already won two of three matches halfway into Ivy League play.
The team’s most recent game was on Mar. 28 was against Dartmouth, which Penn won 16-14 after scoring ten goals in the final 20 minutes of play. The Big Green (4-5, 0-2 Ivy) was dominant for most the game, scoring four goals in the first five minutes of play. Up 14-6 with four minutes left in the third quarter, the Red and Blue’s offensive and defense worked in tandem to chip away at the lead.
Junior goalkeeper Declan Monahan started saving multiple goals, which the offense capitalized on to throw the ball across the field and swing momentum their way. Once the game was tied at around five minutes left in the game, Dartmouth switched goalies. The new goalkeeper for the Big Green pushed the ball past midfield and tried to pass it to Dartmouth midfielder Thomas Vandenberg. But junior short stick defensive midfielder Jacob Pacheco rammed into Vandenberg, causing a turnover. Sophomore defender Dante Vardaro picked up the loose ball and the offense took off streaking down the field. Vardaro passed it to senior midfielder Griffin Scane, who easily scored and gave Penn its first lead at 15-14.
The play illustrates Penn’s defense to offense fluidity that eventually won them the game. And though earlier in the season the Quakers lost 12-9 to the Harvard Crimson (8-1, 2-0 Ivy), when both sides of the ball were working together, the team proved it could rise to the occasion. Penn also earned a 9-7 win against Yale (4-4, 1-2 Ivy) in a game where the team outshot Yale and only had eight turnovers throughout the whole game, currently a season best.
Non-conference play was tight against tough opponents
So far, Penn has split its non-conference play with three wins and three losses. But the highlight has been its two losses against top-ranked opponents in the University of North Carolina and Syracuse.
Then ranked No. 2, UNC has been the Quakers’ most challenging opponent yet. And though Penn lost 11-9, the team made North Carolina (9-1, 0-0 ACC) fight for every goal. In the second half, the Red and Blue held the lead at 5-3 before UNC tied it back just before halftime. Scane ended the game with a hat trick.
Penn next faced then No. 7 Syracuse and lost 9-8 in overtime. The first half one of repeated ties, though the Quakers led 5-4 at halftime. Early in the second half, Penn’s defense kept the Orange scoreless for over 20 minutes, while the Red and Blue fired shots to be up 8-4 near the end of the third quarter. Syracuse midfielder Jake Spallina finally got a score in and assisted for another goal 12 seconds later. At the end of regulation the score was tied, but only 36 seconds into overtime play, the Orange scored to end the game.
These close losses still showcased a fiery offense led by Scane and junior attacker Davis Provost, who scored a career-high of five goals in Penn’s win against Villanova on Mar. 8. Under new head coach Wray, the team hopes to continue tallying up wins as it looks to welcome Cornell at Franklin Field on April 4 at 3:30 p.m.
