Three up, three down: Penn men's lacrosse vs. Towson

• TWEET
• SHARE
• SHARE

Exactly one month ago, Penn men’s lacrosse had its worst defensive outing of the season, allowing 17 goals in an eight-goal defeat at the hands of then-No. 4 Cornell. At the time, it was hard to believe that the Quakers would be able to salvage their season. No. 8 Penn hasn’t lost a game since then, and the Red and Blue are heading to the Ivy League Tournament. Before that, however, the Quakers (7-3) will finish their regular season with two nonconference games. We take a look at who’s up and who’s down entering Penn’s contest against Towson (8-5) on Tuesday.

Three Up:

Penn’s defense: If one wants to identify a particular reason why the Red and Blue have excelled since March 22, their defensive prowess is likely the best answer. Since the Big Red’s onslaught of goals last month, Penn has limited its four opponents to a combined 23 goals, an average of 5.75 per game. Not only is defender Matt McMahon 17th in the nation in caused turnovers, but the Quakers also rank in the top 20 nationally in scoring defense. The Tigers’ offense is in deep trouble if Penn continues this trend.

Justin Mabus: Junior midfield Justin Mabus was a definite bright spot for the Tigers over the weekend. The Yorktown Heights, N.Y. native notched his first career hat trick on Saturday against Drexel, and is now Towson’s sixth-highest scorer. Mabus’ three goals nearly doubled his season total, as the veteran entered the contest with only four goals on the year.

Quakers in the fourth quarter: Based on the Red and Blue’s 10 games this season, it’s almost as if the Quakers — like wine — get better over time.Penn has outscored its opponents by 12 goals in the fourth quarter of games in 2014, scoring 30 times while only allowing 18 scores by other squads.

Three Down:

Towson’s troubles: While Penn has dominated its opponents in the fourth quarter of games, the Tigers have struggled both at the beginnings and ends of contests this season. Though Towson has outscored its opponents by four goals in the middle periods of games, the Tigers are minus-16 in goal differential in the first and fourth quarters combined.

Offensive struggles: Granted, while the Tigers goal differential numbers look bleak, the blame doesn’t rest solely on Towson’s defense. In fact, the Tigers have one of the 25 best scoring defenses in the country. However, Towson has struggled on the offensive end, scoring only 20 goals over its past four contests, and other than Mabus’ hat trick against Drexel, the Tigers were only able to score four goals against their CAA rival.

The Tigers and Pennsylvania: If the Quakers can’t be motivated by their recent four-game winning streak, at least they can take solace in the fact that they play for a Keystone State school. After starting the season with a respectable 8-3 mark, Towson has dropped its last two contests to Pennsylvania squads. The Tigers fell to both then-No. 19 Penn State and Drexel at home over the course of the past two weekends. Will the third time be the charm for Towson on Tuesday? Penn coach Mike Murphy and company hope not.