CAMBRIDGE – Ivy League Champs!
 
For the first time since 1988, the University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team has clinched an Ivy League title. The Quakers left no doubt, scoring 13 of the game's first 15 goals en route to a 26-13 win at Harvard.
 
With the victory, the Quakers (7-3, 5-0 Ivy) can finish no worse than tied for first in the Ivy League. No. 7 Penn completes its Ivy League slate next Saturday on Senior Day, hosting Dartmouth at Franklin Field (1 p.m.) A win over the Big Green would secure Penn's first outright Ivy League title since 1984.
 
Penn has also clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament set for May 3-5 at Columbia.
 
Notes To Know

• Penn tied its single-game school record for goals, matching the 26 scored against Drexel in 1994.
• The Quakers extended the nation's second-longest active winning streak to seven games; Penn has won seven in a row after starting the season 0-3.
• Penn has won five in a row in Ivy League play, its longest streak since the 1984 team won six in a row as part of Penn's last unbeaten Ivy campaign.
• 13 different players had at least one point for Penn, and 10 had at least one goal.
• 26 goals scored are tied for second-most by any team in the country this season.
• 29 total faceoffs won are tied for No. 3 in a game by any team in the country this season.
• Senior co-captain Simon Mathias had the best game of his career, finishing with four goals and two assists. He continues to climb Penn's all-time scoring lists, now ranking No. 4 in goals (104) and No. 6 in points (166). He has at least one point in each of his 53 career games played – the second-longest active streak in the country, and has at least one goal in 30 consecutive games played – tied for the longest active streak in the country.
• Junior Adam Goldner followed up his six-goal game last week at Brown with another six-goal game. He now has 39 goals this season, No. 3 all-time in a season by a Quaker and the most since 1996.
• Freshman Sam Handley had a season-high six goals. In the process, he broke Penn's single-season record for points in a season by a freshman. He now has 44, eclipsing the previous mark of 42 set by John Ward in 1995.
• Three Quakers – James Campbell, Drew Robshaw, and Jack Schultz – scored their first career goals.
• Kyle Gallagher was 20-for-29 on faceoffs, his fourth game this season with 20+ wins.
• Reed Junkin made 10 saves while allowing eight goals on 50+ minutes of work in goal.
• Sean Lulley had two goals and three assists for the third time this season, tying his career high in goals, assists and points.
• The Quakers were outshot in the second quarter, 17-8, but outscored the Crimson, 5-1, to take a 12-2 lead at halftime.

 
How It Happened
The Quakers came out like a team playing for a piece of their first Ivy League championship in over 30 years, scoring six times in the first eight and a half minutes and building a 7-1 lead before the end of the first quarter.
 
Simon Mathias did what captains do, scoring three times and adding two assists in the opening period as the Quakers dominated from the start. Sam Handley netted the first goal for the Quakers, and Mathias followed with a low liner five-hole just 0:50 later. Mathias would add his second of the game 3:08 into the game, giving Penn a quick 3-0 lead.
 
Harvard's Nick Loring scored with 9:30 remaining in the first quarter to get the Crimson on the board, but Penn responded in fine fashion. Handley pump-faked by a defender then scored 0:55 after Harvard's goal, starting a 7-0 run which gave Penn a 10-1 lead. Less than a minute later, Adam Goldner took a Mathias pass and scored his first of the game. Those two would connect again a minute after that, Goldner slipping inside the Harvard defense with Penn on an EMO and Mathias dishing to give Penn a 6-1 lead. With 4:51 left in the first quarter, Mathias would complete his stellar opening period with a snipe from a tight angle inside the near post to give Penn a 7-1 lead.
 
The Quakers would net the first three goals of the second half, with goals from Sean Lulley, Goldner and Mathias. By the time Harvard's Kyle Salvatore scored with 4:42 remaining in the second quarter, Penn had held Harvard scoreless for 19:48 and had built a commanding 10-1 lead.
 
Even after the Crimson scored their second goal of the game, Penn did not allow Harvard to build any momentum. Exactly 1:00 later, Goldner scored his fourth of the game, finding himself in the right place at the right time as a dropped Penn pass landed at his feet and he was able to slip it home. Goldner would finish the first half with his fifth goal of the game, sending Penn to the break with a 12-2 lead.
 
In the second half, Penn withstood a small Harvard rally in the third quarter to maintain its wide lead. Harvard scored five times in the third frame, including four in a row to cut Penn's lead to 14-7. The Quakers would then counter with 10 of the next 11 to once again blow open the game. The pace was frantic as the Quakers scored those 10 goals in a span of 5:10 of game play. Six different players had a goal in that clinching run, led by three from Dylan Gergar.
 
When all was said in done in the fourth quarter, the two teams combined for 17 goals – 11 off the sticks of Penn players.