PHILADELPHIA – Riding high off a sweep of the Philly 4 Classic last weekend, the University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team returns to Franklin Field on Saturday, hosting Princeton in the Ivy League opener for both teams.
 
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Welcome Back!
This weekend marks Alumni Day for the men's lacrosse program. In addition to the annual Alumni Game at Ace Adams Field Saturday morning, the Quakers will be celebrating two championship teams on Saturday during halftime. The 1984 team is returning to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its Ivy League title while the 2014 squad will be back to mark the fifth anniversary of its Ivy League Tournament championship.
 
Back In The Media Poll
With two wins last weekend, the Quakers are back on the national radar. This week's Inside Lacrosse Media Poll features the Red and Blue at No. 20.
 
All-Time Series
This weekend marks the 88th meeting all-time between Penn and Princeton. The Tigers have had the better of the all-time series, holding a 67-20 advantage. Since Mike Murphy took over as coach, Penn is 4-5 against Princeton, including wins in two of the last three seasons.
 
Last Time vs. Princeton
The Quakers stifled Princeton's attack in New Jersey, holding the Tigers to just two goals in the first half en route to a 14-7 win. Tyler Dunn had five goals in the win, while Simon Mathias had three. Mark Evanchick was dominant on defense, holding Princeton's Michael Sowers to just three assists. Reed Junkin was all over the place in goal, making 20 saves. The game was in the balance late in the third quarter with Penn's lead at 7-5, but the Red and Blue scored the game's next six goals to pull away.
 
Mike Murphy vs. Ranked Opponents
Mike Murphy is 18-45 all-time against USILA Top-20 opponents following Penn's 13-11 win at No. 11 Villanova last weekend. Princeton started the season ranked No. 19 in the USILA Top-20, but has dropped out following a 2-3 start to the season.
 
Best In The City!
The Quakers took care of business inside the City of Brotherly Love last weekend, dispatching No. 11 Villanova (13-11) and Saint Joseph's (13-6) to sweep through the first Philly 4 Classic. Adam Goldner had six goals over the two games, while Sam Handley had four goals and seven assists.
 
Simon Says…
Few have been more reliable over a playing career than Simon Mathias. In 48 career games played, Mathias has 94 goals and 56 assists for 150 points – an average of 3.1 points-per-game. He ranks second among active Division I players with a 48-game point streak and ranks second among active players with a 25-game goal scoring streak. His 94 career goals are No. 6 all-time at Penn – four away from tying for No. 5. His 150 career points are No. 9 all-time by a Quaker – five away from tying for the No. 8 spot on Penn's all-time list.
 
The Gold Standard
Adam Goldner leads Penn with 16 goals this season, already more than halfway towards his career high of 28 last season. He has scored multiple goals in all five games this season, and his 3.2 goals per game are No. 4 in the Ivy League and No. 13 among all Division I players.
 
Gallagher's Greatest Hits
A 21-for-27 debut showed signs of what Kyle Gallagher can bring to the X for the Quakers in his first year with the team following his transfer from Hofstra. Through five games, Gallagher is 77-for-129, ranking No. 3 in the Ivy League and No. 179 in the country in faceoff winning percentage (.597). Gallagher's 9.6 groundballs per game is also No. 2 in the Ivy League and is No. 6 in the country.
 
Relying On Reed
Senior Reed Junkin has played in 48 career games in goal, manning the cage for over 2,930 minutes. The 2016 second-team All-Ivy selection and Ivy League Co-Rookie of the Year alongside teammate Simon Mathias, Junkin has earned three career Ivy League Player of the Week honors. He enters this weekend with a .496 save percentage, with 60 saves made to 61 goals allowed. He has 10+ saves in all five games this season, ranking No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 21 in the country in saves per game with 12.0.
 
On The Mark
Junior defender Mark Evanchick has developed into one of the Ivy League's premier defenders. After appearing in just three games as a freshman, Evanchick started all 15 games at close defense last season and often drew the assignment of the opposing team's top offensive threat. He finished with eight caused turnovers and 19 ground balls last season. He has two caused turnovers and six ground balls this season.
 
All Clear
The Quakers are 89-for-103 on clearing attempts this season. Penn's .894 clearing percentage is No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 11 in the country.
 
Turning Away The Turnovers
Penn's 15.4 turnovers per game are the second-fewest among Ivy League teams and 11th-fewest in the country.
 
Tewaaraton Watch
Simon Mathias was named to the Watch List for the 2019 Tewaaraton Award presented to the nation's top player. This marks the second season in a row he has been named to the Watch List.
 
Trio Of All-Ivy Players Return
The Quakers return three All-Ivy selections from 2018, led first-team All-Ivy defender Mark Evanchick. He is joined by senior attackman Simon Mathias (second-team All-Ivy) and senior midfielder Tyler Dunn (honorable mention All-Ivy) as returning all-league selections.
 
Back For More
Seven of Penn's starters from last season return, including six who started 10+ games. Senior goalkeeper Reed Junkin has made 48 career starts in goal, while Mathias has 48 career starts on attack. Overall, 20 players who played in at least half of Penn's 15 games last season return for 2019.
 
Tiger Tales…
Princeton is 2-3 in 2019, with wins over Monmouth and No. 18 Navy and losses to No. 12 Virginia, No. 18 Johns Hopkins and No. 20 Rutgers … Last weekend, Princeton held the Scarlet Knights scoreless for the game's final 32 minutes but could not overcome a 9-3 halftime deficit in a 9-8 loss at Rutgers … Scarlet Knight goalkeeper Max Edelmann made 18 saves to frustrate Princeton during its comeback attempt … Junior attack Michael Sowers has at least two points in each game of his career, entering the weekend with 197 points … Sowers has 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points this season .. He ranks No. 3 in the nation in points per game (6.4) and No. 2 in assists per game (4.0) … Four Tigers enter the weekend with 12+ goals … As a team, Princeton ranks No. 5 in the nation in Scoring Offense (14.6).