PHILADELPHIA – After a thrilling 13-12 overtime victory on the road at crosstown rival Saint Joseph's Wednesday evening, the #16 University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team gets back to work with the second round of the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic Saturday afternoon, hosting #14 Villanova at 3:30 p.m. at Franklin Field.
 
In a true, single-admission doubleheader format, SJU takes on Drexel at noon followed by the Quakers' battle with the Wildcats for the second-annual Farrell Cup at 3:30. 
 
GAME 5: #16/15 Penn (2-2, 0-0 Ivy) vs. #14/18 Villanova (4-1, 0-0 Big East)
Saturday, Mar. 11 | 3:30 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pa. | Franklin Field
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Game Notes | Tickets

Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic
*Wednesday marked the return of the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic for the first time since the 2020 season and for the third time in total. This is the first time in the history of the classic with a Wednesday-Saturday format. All iterations previously fell on a Friday and Sunday. In 2020, Penn fell, 12-10, to Villanova at home before beating Saint Joseph's, 13-12, in the second game at Sweeney Field. The Quakers went 1-1 in 2020 and 2-0 in 2019, the inaugural season of the tourney. Penn took down Saint Joseph's, 13-12, in OT during Wednesday's opener.

The Penn-Villanova Series
 *This will be the 33rd all-time meeting between Penn and Villanova, the Quakers holding a 20-12 series record over the Wildcats dating back to 1978. The last three matchups have gone back-and-forth between the games with Penn coming on top, 8-7, in 2022 on the road. The Quakers have lost their last four matchups to Villanova at Franklin Field, the last win back on Mar. 13, 2010 (8-7).

Playing for the Farrell Cup
Saturday's matchup will be played for the second annual Farrell Cup, honoring the late Penn men's lacrosse captain James Farrell '18 and his brother, Michael. James was a four-year letter winner for the program, playing in 50 games across his career, primarily as a defensive middie and face-off wing. Off the field, James was a leader on on Penn's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Tragically, James was killed in a car accident in July 2021 along with four others including his brother. Senior captain James Shipley wears the Number 19 jersey this season to honor James.

Cardiac Quakers!
Wednesday's Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic opener was a dazzling performance of back-and-forth lacrosse, resulting in a 13-12 overtime victory over Saint Joseph's at Sweeney Field. Senior Sam Handley scored four times, including Quakers' final two goals which involved the game-winning score to snap a two-game skid. Senior James Shipley had a career-high five assists, while junior goalie Emmet Carroll was on top of his game, making 16 saves.

Hitting The Century Mark
*Dylan Gergar is the newest member of Penn's 100-goal club, scoring his 100th, 101st and 102nd-career goals in Wednesday's victory over SJU in Philly. Gergar is the seventh member of the prestigious fraternity and the first to get the number since Adam Goldner, who scored 115 from 2017-21. With 102, Gergar currently sits sixth in program history behind Andy Crofton (109) from 1993-96.

Leading The Way
*Cam Rubin is officially one of the main guys, scoring his third hat trick in four games against SJU on Wednesday, increasing his goal total to 11 on the year. He now has a goal in six consecutive games dating back to last season, scoring 13 during that span.

13-12x3
*Nope, that's not some sort of math equation. That just happens to Penn's score against Saint Joseph's the last three meetings between the teams, as the Quakers won 13-12 on Wednesday. The game went to overtime with Penn coming out on top for the second year in a row.

Keeping The Streaks Alive
*Handley increased his point-scoring streak to 37 straight games with his four goals against SJU. That number is good for fifth nationally. Handley has at least one point in every game he has played for Penn during his career.

*While Gergar's goal-scoring streak was snapped at 25 straight games against the Nittany Lions, his point-scoring streak remains intact doing so in 28 straight games dating back to May 11, 2019 vs. Army in the NCAA Tournament.

Penn In The National Stats
*2nd in clearing percentage (.964).
*4th in fewest turnovers per game (13.00).
*12th in saves per game (14.50)

Penn Players In The National Stats
*Carroll is currently eighth in the nation for saves per game (14.50) and 14th in the nation for save percentage (.547).

Penn In Ivy Stats
*The Quakers rank first amongst Ivy opponents in clearing percentage (.964) and first in fewest turnovers per game (13.00) heading into Saturday. Penn is second in saves per game (14.50).
 
Penn Players In Ivy Stats
*Carroll is second among Ivy goaltenders in save percentage (.547) and saves per game (14.50).

*Chris Arceri ranks fourth in ground balls per game (4.00).

*Ethan Till is ranked seventh in caused turnovers per game (1.25).

*After his five against the Hawks, Shipley slides into seventh in assists per game (1.75).

Scouting The Wildcats
*#18/14 Villanova heads into Saturday's Philly 4 finale with a 4-1 overall record, most recently beating Drexel, 14-7, on Hawk Hill Wednesday night. The Wildcats scored nine unanswered goals in the final 28 minutes to upend the Dragons. Patrick Daly, who leads the team with 17 goals this season, became the ninth VU player to tally 100-career goals in the victory. Matt Campbell (13 G, 7 A) leads the team with 20 points while Austin Fraser is Nova's leading assist-getter with 10. Between the pipes, Will Vitton has made 54 saves with a percentage of .482. Justin Coppola is 73-for-136 on faceoffs this season for a .537 mark, leading the way with 44 ground balls.

Follow The Action
*Saturday's contest will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required) with Joe Tordy (PxP) and George Corrigan (Analyst) on the call. Live stats will also be provided.