NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team's rivalry with Yale has become one of the fiercest in the Ivy League in recent years, appearing to reach its pinnacle with a trio of one-goal games in 2019—one in the regular season, one in the Ivy League Tournament, one in an NCAA Championship quarterfinal.
On Saturday, the fifth-ranked Quakers and No. 8 Bulldogs needed overtime—again—to decide the 2022 regular-season meeting, and it was the hosts who pulled out the 12-11 victory at Reese Stadium. Chris Lyons netted the winner for Yale, drawing a short stick on defense, turning him and bouncing home a shot. The goal ended a Bulldogs scoreless drought that covered 24:56 of game time, one that allowed Penn to come back from a three-goal deficit and force the extra period.
Quaker Notemeal
*Senior
Sam Handley once again led Penn's offense on Saturday, scoring three goals and dishing off two assists for five points.
*Handley has 22 points in three Ivy League games this season, all against top-10 opponents.
*Sophomore
Cam Rubin scored three goals, giving him 13 goals in three Ivy games after he scored just three goals in four non-conference contests.
*Senior
Dylan Gergar recorded three points (2g/1a).
*Penn's other scorers were
Jack Schultz,
Gabe Furey, and
James Shipley.
*
Kaleb Fernandez had two assists on Saturday.
*
Patrick Burkinshaw made 14 saves on Saturday, including seven in a row to end regulation after Yale took an 11-8 lead with 8:45 left in the third quarter.
*Lyons led Yale's offense with four points (3g/1a), while Brad Sharp and Leo Johnson scored two goals each. Matt Brandau had three points (1g/2a). At the other end, Jared Paquette had 12 saves.
How It Happened
After three epic battles in 2019, it was no surprise to see these teams come out hard on Saturday. The Quakers and Bulldogs were tied six times and the lead changed hands five times in the first half alone, the hosts gaining the upper hand heading into the locker room on a (literal) last-second goal that ended the half.
Handley got the Quakers started just 1:45 into the game, but Yale scored the next two to take its first lead of the day. Schultz leveled it at 2-2 just 37 seconds later, and then Furey came across the top for a left-handed shot that put Penn up 3-2.
Penn was whistled for a penalty and Yale capitalized to tie it at 3-3, then the Bulldogs went in front on a Brandau goal with 1:35 left. It was still 4-3 as the period ended.
Handley needed just 43 seconds to tie things at 4-4 in the second, and then Shipley juked his way into his 10th goal of the season for a 5-4 lead. However, Yale needed less than a minute to tie it at 5-5, and then three minutes later the Bulldogs' Max Krevsky and Gergar (off a Fernandez feed) matched goals to make it 6-6 with 7:10 left.
That score held until the very end of the half, when Paquette's save of a Furey shot sent Yale on a fast-break transition that ended with Brandau feeding Lyons who potted his goal with just one second left. That sent the teams to the locker room with the Bulldogs up one.
Rubin tied things up early in the third, rocketing a shot home off a Handley feed, but then Yale ripped off three goals in a span of 1:09 to take a 10-7 lead. Rubin got one of them back with his third of the day, a goal that was matched by Yale's Carson Kuhl less than a minute later, and then things settled down considerably as Gergar had the only goal in the final 8:45 of the period. It was 11-9 Bulldogs entering the final quarter.
Handley (with 9:20 left) and Rubin (off a beautiful cross-field pass from Gergar with 4:07 left) provided the only scoring in the fourth, while the Quakers' defense continued to hold Yale at bay with Burkinshaw making three saves giving him seven after Yale's 11th goal.
In the overtime, Yale won the faceoff and set Lyons up behind the goal. He came out front from the right post, drawing a short stick on defense, and after making a move toward the goal he bounced a shot that drew Burkinshaw low and went over his stick for the winner.
Up Next
Penn will be home each of the next two Saturdays, hosting Brown next weekend at 1 p.m. Prior to the contest, the Quakers will honor their outgoing seniors in a pregame ceremony.
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