In a battle of Top 20 teams attended by President Liz Magill, the 19th-ranked men’s lacrosse team downed 20th-ranked Yale 17-16 on Saturday at Franklin Field.
The Quakers sped out to a 4-0 lead and led 6-4 after the first quarter. A goal by fourth-year midfielder Matt Palazzi at the 13:51 mark of the second quarter put the Red & Blue up 7-4, but Yale answered with five unanswered goals to take a 9-7 advantage. The Bulldogs were ahead 11-9 at halftime.
Two goals by Yale early in the third period made it a 13-9 game. Penn scored three unanswered goals in a one-and-a-half-minute span to trim Yale’s lead to 13-12. The Bulldogs added a goal in the final 90 seconds and led 14-12 after three periods.
Second-year attacker Ben Smith scored a goal at the 11:25 mark of the fourth quarter to cut Yale’s lead to one, and second-year attacker Tynan Walsh tied the game up a short time later with his third goal of the game. Yale countered with two straight goals to take a 16-14 advantage with 7:57 left in the game.
Fourth-year attacker Robert Schain’s goal with 3:33 on the clock got the Quakers within one, and Smith made it a 16-all game with a goal at the 2:35 mark. Walsh scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal with 1:17 in the game. Yale had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but third-year goalkeeper Emmet Carroll came through with the clutch save.
Smith had four goals, one assist, five points, seven shots, and six shots on goal. Walsh finished with four goals, four points, seven shots, and six shots on goal. Fourth-year midfielder Sam Handley had two goals, three assists, five points, nine shots, and four shots on goal. Carroll had 12 saves.
Penn is 4-4 overall and 2-1 in the Ivy League. They play Brown (4-5 overall, 0-2 in Ivy League) on Saturday in Rhode Island.
