Hoyas top Lion laxers

By CHRIS ANTONACCI
Collegian Staff Writer

The question on Dave Urick's mind heading into his team's game against the Penn State men's lacrosse team has been answered.

After falling 10-8 at the hands of No. 2 Duke last weekend, he wondered if his No. 7 Georgetown (5-1) squad could bounce back and defeat the No. 9 Nittany Lions (4-2).

His team responded in a 20-10 thrashing yesterday in Washington extending the Hoyas mark against Penn State to 3-2. Each of the battles fought between the Urick and Lions coach Glenn Thiel has been won by the home team.

Last year's match in Holuba Hall was the cornerstone victory for Penn State. The Lions squeaked out a 14-13 decision in the final seconds thanks to a goal by then-senior Adam "Wild Thing" Pitarra.

Without the "Wild Thing," the Lions found themselves down, and eventually out of the contest from the first whistle. The Hoyas rattled off six goals by the two-minute mark in the second period to take a commanding 6-0 lead of the game.

Penn State tried to respond with two straight goals, but could not match the Hoyas' talent. Georgetown scored six straight and held a 12-2 lead at the intermission.

"We didn't play too well," Thiel said. "We pretty much got dominated. It's a measuring stick for us. If they are No. 7 and we are No. 9, there must be a big gap between No. 7 and No. 9."

At the start of the third period, Thiel yanked goalie Kevin Keenan from between the pipes in favor of sophomore Matt Vallone. Third-string goalie Ian Kupferberg also played three minutes and was the only Lion goalie to not allow a shot.

With Vallone in the crease, the Lions narrowed the gap to 12-4 with two tallies by captain Chris Schiller and Sean Huss.

Again, when Penn State was starting to make a run, Georgetown pulled through to stymie the Lions' momentum with goals by Keith Baker and Andy Flick. Schiller scored again, but the Hoyas notched four more by the time the horn blew at the end of the third period.

Penn State outscored the Hoyas 5-2 in the fourth, but it was too little too late.

"They were just better than us at every position," Thiel said. "They just dominated and they were all over us."

All over the scoring sheet was Georgetown's Greg McCavera, who scored a career-high nine points, with three goals and six assists. He was complimented by fellow senior Scott Urick, who finished the day with seven goals and one assist.

Also hurting Penn State's cause were its 12 penalties, which allowed eight Georgetown goals.

"That was pretty much the story of the game," Thiel said. "We committed too many penalties."

The Hoyas' win puts them in a favorable position to make the playoffs once again, while Penn State suffers a major blow in its quest to qualify after three straight seasons of being on the cusp of qualification.

But coach Urick said the Lions will have their chance in the future, if they do not make it this season.

"They are going to be a force," he said Tuesday. "But it is not like they were chop liver before."