PHILADELPHIA – Coming off two tough losses against back-to-back ranked opponents, the #16 University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team heads to Hawk Hill on Wednesday night for the first of two Philly Four Lacrosse Classic matchups this week, taking on #17 Saint Joseph's at Sweeney Field.
 
In a true doubleheader format, Villanova will take on Drexel at 5 p.m. Wednesday night first before Penn's battle with SJU at 8 p.m.
 
GAME 4: #16/15 Penn (1-2, 0-0 Ivy) at #17/13 Saint Joseph's (3-1, 0-0 A10)
Wednesday, Mar. 8 | 8 p.m.
Philadelphia, Pa. | Sean Sweeney Field
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Philly Four Lacrosse Classic
*Wednesday marks the return of the Philly Four 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.
 
The Penn-Saint Joseph's Series
 *Penn and Saint Joseph's will be playing each other for the 18th time in the series history, the Quakers posting a 15-2 record against the Hawks. Penn has won three in a row against SJU, including two straight final scores of 13-12 including an overtime victory last season at Penn Park.
 
Not-So-Happy Valley
*Penn's matchup with then-#17 Penn State on Saturday in State College wasn't exactly what the doctor ordered following a home loss to Duke last weekend. The Quakers had a 6-5 lead at halftime and then a 9-8 cushion into the third quarter, but the Nittany Lions had other plans, scoring seven unanswered goals at the from the end of the third through the entire fourth quarter to come away with a 15-9 win.
 
One bright spot was senior captain James Shipley, who recorded the second hat trick of his career with three goals to lead the team. Senior Robert Schain added a pair while both Sam Handley and Dylan Gergar finished with two assists. Junior goalie Emmet Carroll allowed 15 goals in a losing effort but made 16 stops with a save percentage of .571.
 
One Away
*Despite being held goalless for the first time in 25 straight games, Gergar is still just one goal away from joining the 100-career goal club. With four goals in the first two games of the season, the senior sits at 99 for his career, one of only six players in program history have more than 100 goals, the last being Adam Goldner, who scored 115 from 2017-21.
 
Leading The Charge
*He didn't see the same scoring output as usual on Saturday against Penn State, but he still got on the scoresheet with his second-quarter goal, as Cam Rubin increased his goal total to eight on the year, scoring in three straight games to open 2023. He now has a goal in five consecutive games dating back to last season, scoring 10 during that span.
 
Career Firsts
*Hugh Mullane became the latest Penn Quaker to tally a first-career goal, doing so against the Nittany Lions on Saturday. Mullane joins Casey Mulligan as the last two Penn players to get on the stat sheet for the first time in their careers.
 
Mullane scored with eight seconds remaining in the first quarter against PSU, cutting the deficit to 3-2 on an unassisted strike. Mulligan scored on his only shot of the contest against Duke last weekend.
 
Keeping The Streak Alive
*Penn players had notable streaks alive heading into Saturday's matchup at Penn State, but Gergar's goal-scoring streak was snapped at 25 straight games, the third-most in the nation when he went goalless against the Nittany Lions
 
Handley increased his point-scoring streak to 36 straight games with his one goal and two assists against PSU. That number is good for fifth nationally. Handley has at least one point in every game he has played for Penn during his career.
 
Keep It Down
*So far this season, scoring 13 or more goals against the Quakers has been their undoing, going 0-2 in those games to start the year. Duke scored 14 in a win over Penn, while PSU hung 15 on the Quakers Saturday.
 
Three's Company
*A loss against the Nittany Lions on Saturday marked the first time since Feb. 29-Mar. 6, 2020 that Penn lost back-to-back non-conference games. That season, the Quakers fell to both Penn State and Villanova. The Red and Blue have not lost three consecutive non-conference games since Feb. 16-Mar. 2, 2019 against Maryland, Duke and Penn State, all three within the Top 5 in national rankings. The Quakers then went on to win 12 straight games, which including the Ivy Tournament title vs. Yale.
 
Ranked Opponents
*Wednesday's matchup will feature Penn's fourth-straight ranked opponent to open the 2023 season. All four teams have been ranked inside the Top 20 with two inside the Top 10 (Georgetown and Duke). After Saint Joseph's 15-14 loss at #15 Johns Hopkins Saturday afternoon, the Hawks dropped from #13 to #17 ahead of this week's games.
 
Penn will host Villanova on Saturday, also within the Top 20 rankings, slotting in at #14 in the latest USILA Coaches' Poll.
 
Penn In The National Stats
*The Quakers rank first in clearing percentage (.967).
 
*They are also ranked second in fewest turnovers per game (12.33).
 
*Penn heads into Saturday's matchup with Penn State ranked 10th in saves per game (14.67).
 
Penn Players In National Stats
*Carroll is currently seventh in the nation for saves per game (14.67) and 15th in the nation for save percentage (.550).
 
Penn In Ivy Stats
*The Quakers rank first amongst Ivy opponents in clearing percentage (.967) and first in fewest turnovers per game (12.33) heading into Wednesday. Penn is second in saves per game (14.67).
 
Penn Players In Ivy Stats
*Carroll is second among Ivy goaltenders in save percentage (.550) and saves per game (14.67).
 
*Chris Arceri ranks fourth in ground balls per game (4.00).
 
 Ethan Till is ranked fourth in caused turnovers per game (1.33).
 
Scouting The Hawks
*Saint Joseph's went into Saturday's matchup with Johns Hopkins an unblemished 3-0 before falling to the #15 Blue Jays, 15-14, at Homewood Field. The Hawks nearly rallied from a five-goal deficit in the fourth quarter, ultimately falling short.
 
Carter Page scored four goals to lead the way, extending his goals-scored streak to 16 straight games. Tucker Brown added three goals while Levi Anderson's streak of 12 consecutive contests with a goal came to an end. The Hawks out-shot JHU by a 43-31 margin including 25-21 in shots on goal. SJU was just 2-for-6 on extra-man opportunities.
 
Follow The Action
*Wednesday night's battle between ranked cross-town foes will be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required) with live stats also provided.