Tuesday is for the hunters, they say. And no one hunts like the Hawks.
Unranked Saint Joseph’s scored five first-quarter goals and rode a 15-save performance by goalie Tommy Gross to a 12-7 win over No. 12 Penn in Philadelphia.
The Hawks (4-3) have won four straight games after an 0-3 start. They led 5-1 in the first quarter and stretched their lead to six midway through the third quarter before the Quakers used a three-goal run to cut their deficit in half.
It was too little too late, however, as Carter Page and Levi Anderson each scored in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to seal the St. Joe’s upset. Penn fell to 5-3.
Five players scored at least two goals for the Hawks, including hat tricks by Toron Eccleston and Page and a pair of tallies by Mark Watters, who matched his career high and doubled his season output. Defenseman Levi Verch was stellar with two caused turnovers and six ground balls.
Later in the evening, another Philadelphia-area team secured a top-20 upset in Annapolis, as unranked Villanova defeated No. 20 Navy 14-7.
The Wildcats (5-3) closed out the first half on a five-goal run, including a backhand buzzer-beater by Nicholas Lucchesi that put Villanova ahead 10-4 at halftime.
The momentum carried into the third quarter. The Wildcats added two more goals out of the gate and neutralized the Midshipmen with the help of faceoff man Justin Coppola (14-for-22) and goalie Anthony Wilson (15 saves).
Attackmen Matt Licata (three goals, two assists) and Colin Michener (two goals, three assists) each had five points for Villanova. Thomas McIntire added a hat trick out of the midfield.
For Navy (4-4), it was a letdown after their overtime win at Johns Hopkins last Friday catapulted the Midshipmen into the USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20. Goalie Dan Daly made 15 saves in the loss.
Also Tuesday:
- Connor Shellenberger stands alone in Virginia history. The two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist vying to become the Cavaliers’ first-ever four-time first-team All-American scored an unassisted goal early in the third quarter of a 16-10 win over Albany to surpass Matt Moore as UVA’s all-time leading scorer. Shellenberger now has 282 points in 58 career games and time to pad his record. Moore had 277 points in 73 career games.
- Georgetown is hitting that familiar stride. A winning streak that started with impressive victories over Penn and Notre Dame reached five games Tuesday with a 21-9 blowout of Dartmouth. The Hoyas started the season 0-2 but have not lost since Feb. 10. They showed no rust from a two-week layoff, but looked rather refreshed as 13 different players scored. Georgetown scored on five of its first six shots and never looked back, holding its sixth straight opponent to fewer than 10 goals.
