D1 men: Penn edges Villanova, 8-7, with late flurry

Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/13/10
From Press Releases

The Penn men’s lacrosse team got goals from Corey Winkoff and Rob McMullen just 13 seconds apart with just over two minutes to play as the Quakers defeated Villanova, 8-7, today at Franklin Field.

The win was Penn’s fourth in a row and improved the Quakers to 4-2 overall. Villanova saw a three-game win streak snapped and fell to 3-2.

Things were not looking good for Penn early on, as Villanova scored the game’s first three goals in less than six minutes. Jack Rice got things started on a Kevin Cunningham feed just 51 seconds into the contest, and then Cunningham finished a Paul Webber feed for a 2-0 lead. The Cats were then credited with a goal after the ball went in from a Penn player at the 9:11 mark.

It took nearly six minutes after that, but Penn got on the board when Will Amling scored unassisted. In the second period, however, the Quakers set off on their own three-goal run to take the lead.

Rob Fitzpatrick scored off a John Conneely feed, and then Winkoff netted a McMullen feed to tie the scored with 9:17 left before halftime. The duo then reversed roles with 4:24 left, as Winkoff fed McMullen and the senior netted his first of the day. Villanova’s Will Casertano finished a C.J. Small feed with 2:57 left, though, and the teams went into the break tied at 4-4.

The score was still tied after the third quarter, after both teams scored once in the stanza — McMullen’s goal (off a Terry Kennedy) feed was matched by VU’s Rice.

McMullen again gave Penn the lead in the fourth, finishing a feed from Dan Savage, but Villanova scored twice in a 1:15 span to regain the lead, 6-5. Mark Scioscia scored the goal to tie things, and then Michael Vigilante put the Wildcats up with 8:35 to play.

Nearly six minutes went by before Penn drew level, as Winkoff finished a Conneely feed. Just 13 seconds after that, McMullen netted his fourth of the day to give the Quakers the lead, and they were able to hold on for the victory.

Chris Casey and Joe Hegener split time in goal for Penn; Casey had four saves in the first half, while Hegener had two stops in the second half and was credited with the win. At the other end, Dan Gutierrez had seven stops for Villanova.