PHILADELPHIA –– The University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse team was down by four late in the first half, and by three with about eight minutes left in the fourth, but scored the game's last four goals — the final two coming seven seconds apart with just three minutes to play — as the Quakers knocked off No. 1 Duke 10-9.
Penn has now played Duke three times at Franklin Field, and won all three. The Quakers improved to 2-1 overall on the season while the top-ranked Blue Devils fell to 4-1.
There's something about being underdogs from Philadelphia!@PennMensLax defends its home turf and upsets No. 1 Duke, 10-9, for a statement win in February. pic.twitter.com/sHCVgJCwla
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) February 25, 2018
Kevin McGeary figured in both the tying and winning goals on Saturday to cap a four-point day. He assisted Simon Mathias' tying goal with 3:07 to play in regulation, and then after Connor Keating won the ground ball on the ensuing faceoff he quickly found McGeary who dented the netting himself.
It was Penn's only lead of the day, and it turned out to be enough. Duke had a chance to tie in the final minute but lost control of the ball behind the goal in the waning seconds and could not get a final shot.
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Adam Goldner also had three goals on Saturday while Mathias had a goal and three assists as he moved his point-scoring streak to 31 games (every game of his Penn career). For Duke, Justin Guterding and Brad Smith both had two goals and an assist, while Nakeie Montgomery also scored twice.
Duke and Penn traded goals throughout the first quarter, which ended at 2-2. The Blue Devils then opened it up in the second quarter, scoring four times in a span of 5:32 with the goals coming from four different scorers. Tyler Dunn got one of the goals back for the Quakers, but Smith made it a four-goal game again with just 1:54 left in the half.
FINAL SCORE: Penn 10, No. 1 Duke 9
— Penn Men's Lacrosse (@PennMensLax) February 24, 2018
Penn turns it over, but after a TO Duke cannot get a final shot off! QUAKERS WIN! #ILPL pic.twitter.com/OJVGsr0Hbr
For the second time in as many periods, Penn scored late. After Goldner had scored with just 14 seconds left in the first period, this time he scored with six seconds left off a nice feed from Mathias. That sent the teams to the locker room with Duke up, 7-4.
Goldner then had the only goal in the third quarter, off a Keating feed, and when Sean Lulley finished a Mathias feed just 1:30 into the fourth it was a 7-6 game. Duke looked like it might put this one away shortly after that, Guterding scoring with 12:07 left and then Montgomery unassisted with 9:53 to play. That gave the Devils some breathing room, with a 9-6 lead.
The Quakers had one final winning run in them. McGeary finished an Alex Roesner feed with 8:21 to play, and less than a minute later McGeary rang a shot off the crossbar that Reilly Hupfeldt collected and fired home on the rebound. That set the stage for Penn's final two goals and the win.
