Penn women's lacrosse finishes perfect in Ivy play with overtime win

Watch the throne.

The Penn women’s lacrosse team did what it’s done every year since 2008, winning an Ivy League title in dominant fashion.

Though Saturday’s contest with Brown required overtime, the Quakers (9-4, 7-0 Ivy) came out on top, 10-7, capping off an undefeated Ivy campaign. As a result, the Red and Blue will yet again host the Ivy League tournament at Penn Park.

In one of the few instances, the Quakers actually trailed the Bears (9-5, 2-4 Ivy) at the half, 4-2. Senior midfield Maddie Poplawski got the Red and Blue off to a quick start, scoring just 33 seconds into the game, but the Bears proceeded to score four straight.

“Maddie did a great job getting us off to a fast start,” coach Karin Brower Corbett said. “But after that, we just stopped creating opportunities for ourselves.”

A familiar name, Bunting, had two goals in the first half, but this time it was Abby Bunting, a Brown sophomore and sister of Penn’s Caroline.

The Quakers fought an uphill battle in the second half, trailing by as many as three goals, but were not going to be denied their perfect Ivy season.

With nine minutes left in the game, Penn finally got the game tied, but a goal by Brown’s Grace Healy almost ended Penn’s undefeated dream.

That is, until Shannon Mangini decided to play hero once again.
With 30 seconds to go, the junior found the back of the net for her second goal of the game, forcing extra time.

“She’s an impressive player,” Corbett said. “Her ability to make big plays offensively and defensively late in the game really makes her a complete player.”

In OT, it was all Quakers, with senior Meredith Cain scoring a quick goal, Mangini getting her hat trick and Poplawski putting in the dagger to increase Penn’s lead to three with a minute left.

After trailing in draw controls, 9-7 in regulation, the Quakers saw great overtime success mainly because of their ability to secure possession from the draw. The favorable 4-1 margin in overtime was crucial for the Red and Blue.

As a result, Brown did not manage to get off a single shot in the extra period.

“I’m most proud of the way we win one goal games,” Corbett said.

“It’s a talented league this year. We weren’t playing great at the beginning and struggled to figure out who we were, but we’ve come a long way.”

Of note was the absence of freshman Iris Williamson. The team’s leading scorer has been hobbled by an injury for the past few weeks, and her day off is something to keep an eye on.

Williamson holds the scoring lead by two goals over Cain, and with one regular season game left to play, it’s anyone’s race.

The Quakers took care of business in the regular season, but now is the crucial time of the year. The season has been a great success so far, but with a game against Northwestern and the Ancient Eight and NCAA tournaments still remaining, they remain hungry for more.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Corbett said. “But we’re fighters.”

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