PHILADELPHIA – Off to a 1-0 start in Ivy League play, No. 19/17 Penn (3-3, 1-0 Ivy) looks to continue its momentum in Ithaca as the Red and Blue take on No. 8 Cornell (5-2, 0-1 Ivy) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
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Nationally Ranked
The Red and Blue have vaulted into the USILA Top-20, sliding in at No. 19 for their first ranking in that poll this season. For the second week in a row, the Quakers are featured in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, up to No. 17.
 
All-Time Series
Saturday is the 94th meeting all-time between Penn and Cornell, with the Big Red holding a 65-25-3 lead in the series. Penn has won three of the last five games between the two schools, including a 10-9 the last time the two sides met in Ithaca in 2017.
 
Last Time vs. Cornell
Penn held a 10-8 lead at halftime last season at Franklin Field, but the Big Red scored 12 goals in the second half to just three for the Quakers as Cornell rallied for a 20-13 victory. Jeff Teat had six goals for Cornell, and Jake McCulloch added five. For Penn, Simon Mathias led the offense with four goals, Tyler Dunn also pitched in three.
 
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 this season. Cornell will be the fifth ranked team Penn has played this season, and the fourth inside the Top-10.
 
Best In The City!
The Quakers took care of business inside the City of Brotherly Love to start March, 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 49 career games played, Mathias has 96 goals and 58 assists for 154 points – an average of 3.1 points-per-game. He ranks second among active Division I players with a 49-game point streak and ranks second among active players with a 26-game goal scoring streak. His 96 career goals are No. 6 all-time at Penn – two away from tying for No. 5. His 154 career points are No. 9 all-time by a Quaker – one away from tying for the No. 8 spot on Penn's all-time list.
 
The Gold Standard
Adam Goldner leads Penn with 21 goals this season, already more than halfway towards his career high of 28 last season. He has scored multiple goals in all six games this season, and his 3.5 goals per game are No. 3 in the Ivy League and No. 6 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 six games, Gallagher is 97-for-159, ranking No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 18 in the country in faceoff winning percentage (.610). Last week, he went 20-for-30 on faceoffs, earning a spot on the USILA National Team of The Week. Gallagher's 10.7 groundballs per game is also No. 2 in the Ivy League and is No. 4 in the country.
 
Relying On Reed
Senior Reed Junkin has played in 49 career games in goal, manning the cage for over 2,990 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 .523 save percentage, with 78 saves made to 71 goals allowed. He has 10+ saves in all six games this season – including 18 last weekend against Princeton – and ranks No. 2 in the Ivy League and No. 14 in the country in saves per game with 13.0.
 
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 seven ground balls this season. Last week, he held Princeton's Michael Sowers to a goal and two assists.
 
All Clear
The Quakers are 113-for-128 on clearing attempts this season. Penn's .883 clearing percentage is No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 6 in the country.
 
Turning Away The Turnovers
Penn's 16.0 turnovers per game are the second-fewest among Ivy League teams and 21st-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.
 
Fresh Faces Gain Recognition
A pair of Penn rookies earned spots on Inside Lacrosse's Top-25 Freshmen List. Sam Handley has 10 goals and 12 assists, landing as the No. 4 freshman in the country according to IL. Classmate BJ Farrare has 11 caused turnovers, six ground balls, three goals and two assists as a long-stick midfielder to slot in at No. 21.
 
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.
 
Regarding The Big Red…
Cornell won its first three games on the season before suffering a 19-13 loss to No. 4 Penn State … Two days later, the Big Red responded with an 18-11 win over No. 1 Towson … In their Ivy opener, the Big Red suffered a 16-11 loss at No. 3 Yale … Against the Bulldogs, Cornell won just six face-offs to 24 for Yale … Cornell is potent on offense, ranking No. 3 in the nation with 15.7 goals-per-game … Individually, Cornell is the only team in the nation with three attackmen ranked in the Top-20 in points-per-game (John Piatelli, Jonathan Donville and Colton Rupp each are No. 15 with 4.86 ppg) … Clarke Petterson leads the Ivy League and is No. 3 in the NCAA in goals-per-game (3.71) and his .650 shooting percentage (26-for-40) is No. 2 in the country … Chase Ierlan is 2-1 in goal, with a 12.80 GAA and .483 save percentage after taking over three games ago.