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Penn beats Yale for Ivy League men’s lacrosse title, will play Army in NCAA Tournament

The Quakers needed three overtimes to beat Yale during the regular season. This time, they did it in regulation.

The Penn men's lacrosse team runs out on to the field before a game against Dartmouth last month.
The Penn men's lacrosse team runs out on to the field before a game against Dartmouth last month.Read moreHEATHER KHALIFA / Staff Photographer

It wasn’t supposed to be easy.

To keep the magical 2019 season going, Penn had to beat reigning NCAA men’s lacrosse champion Yale in the Ivy League Tournament final Sunday in New York.

The Quakers had needed three overtimes to beat Yale in their regular-season meeting. Besides, seven of Penn’s 13 games had been decided by two goals or fewer. So it did not faze the Quakers on Sunday that gave up multi-goal leads three times against the Bulldogs.

Each time Yale tied the score, Penn came up with a goal to recapture a lead, and with just under 5 minutes remaining, sophomore Sean Lulley scored a go-ahead goal the Quakers would make stand up for a 12-11 victory at Columbia’s Lawrence A. Wien Stadium. Their second Ivy league Tournament championship earned them the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Seeded fourth in the NCAA field, Penn will play Patriot League champion Army West Point (13-4) at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Franklin Field. The Final Four will be played May 25-27 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Penn State, the No. 1 overall seed, will open at home Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s Marist-UMBC game. The Penn women’s team made its 13th straight NCAA Tournament and will play Georgetown on Friday at Syracuse.

“It was gut-check kind of game,” said Penn coach Mike Murphy, whose team is 11-3 after starting 0-3. “It was two really good teams fighting hard.”

Penn goalie Reed Junkin saved two shots in the final 5 minutes and finished with 16 saves.

Lulley had three goals and two assists, and Adam Goldner scored three goals.

The Quakers won both the Ivy League regular season and tournament for the first time in program history.