Defending national champion Yale men's lacrosse won't remain at No. 1 much longer.
Villanova (1-1) shocked the Bulldogs with an 11-10 overtime win on Saturday, upsetting the country's top-ranked team on the road. Connor Kirst scored the winner with 2:45 remaining in OT.
It was Kirst's first goal of the game and the season.
DOWN GOES NO. 1!!!!! @NovaLacrosse knocks off the defending champs in OT!#NCAALAX pic.twitter.com/WQ0ccHU7Gj
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) February 16, 2019
Yale won 18 of 25 faceoffs, but both teams totaled 21 shots on goal. The Bulldogs almost lost in regulation, as Villanova led 10-7 in the fourth before Yale (0-1) scored the final three goals to force overtime.
Joey Froccaro and Keegan Khan both scored three goals for Villanova, which regrouped following a 17-7 loss to now-No. 4 Penn State on Feb. 2. Froccaro, who missed all of last season because of an injury, scored the Wildcats' first goal of the first, third and fourth periods.
NCAA LACROSSE: Inside Lacrosse Top 20 rankings
Saturday's win marked the second in a row against Yale. Last year, the Wildcats won 10-9 in overtime at the Patriot Cup in Frisco, Texas. Like this year's overtime finish, it was the first game of the season for Yale.
Final/OT: 'CATS WIN! 🔵🥍⚪️ #NovaLax #GoNova
— Villanova Men's Lax (@NovaLacrosse) February 16, 2019
Pres. by @TheGreeneTurtle pic.twitter.com/D1OmwC3cgG
The Bulldogs lost only two more times the rest of the season en route to winning the program's first national championship.
But on Saturday, Villanova again knocked off a ranked Yale team. And this time, the Bulldogs were No. 1
Villanova's shocker followed another thrilling finish on Saturday, as No. 10 Duke upset No. 6 Denver earlier in the day. The Blue Devils beat Denver on a Joey Manown goal with seven seconds to play.
Yale now has to play No. 4 Penn State next, with the Bulldogs and Nittany Lions set for a 1 p.m. ET game next Saturday, Feb. 23. Villanova also plays next Saturday, with the Wildcats meeting Hofstra at 12 p.m.
