Explosive First Half Drives #16 Men’s Lacrosse to 14-8 Victory Over UAlbany | University of Pennsylvania Athletics

PHILADELPHIA – The 16th-ranked University of Pennsylvania men’s lacrosse team started strong on Tuesday, defeating the University at Albany 14-8 at Franklin Field.

The Quakers wasted no time, scoring two goals within the first four minutes. By late in the first quarter, they led 5-1. Although UAlbany narrowed the gap to 5-4 in the second quarter, Penn responded with four consecutive goals and maintained control of the game.

With this victory, Penn improved to 1-1, while UAlbany fell to 0-2.

Key Performances
– Penn outshot UAlbany, 34-26.
– Sophomore Chris Patterson shined, scoring four goals and assisting one, marking his first five collegiate points.
– Senior Ben Smith also contributed significantly with three goals and two assists, bringing his career total to 104 points.
– Another senior, Cam Rubin, reached 102 career points with two goals and one assist.
– Junior Griffin Scane completed a hat trick on four shots.
– Sophomore Davis Provost scored again, and Jacob Pacheco netted his first collegiate goal.
– Brendan Lavelle, a senior All-American, led the defense with two caused turnovers and five ground balls.
– In goal, senior All-American Emmet Carroll made eight crucial saves.

Game Highlights
The game kicked off energetically, with Patterson scoring his first collegiate point from Lucchesi’s assist. Rubin quickly followed with a goal that marked his 100th career point. Despite UAlbany scoring shortly after, Scane and Provost struck back for Penn, ending the first quarter with a 5-2 lead.

UAlbany made their attempt to close the gap, coming within one point early in the second quarter. However, Penn’s offense surged again, with Rubin, Smith, and Scane scoring to stretch the lead to 8-4 by halftime.

The second half began with Pacheco scoring his debut goal. After UAlbany’s Joey Carino replied, Patterson quickly added two goals, extending the lead to 11-5. Though UAlbany managed to score a couple more times, Smith and Patterson matched their efforts, ending the third quarter with a comfortable 13-7 advantage.

The final quarter saw some delay in scoring. UAlbany’s Alex Pfeiffer managed to score, but Smith quickly responded with a goal to seal the game.

Next Game
Penn will travel for its next three games, kicking off this stretch against #17 Delaware on Saturday at noon.