Some things never change.
For the Penn women’s lacrosse team, that’s a beautiful thing, as the Quakers (6-4, 4-0 Ivy) knocked off Columbia in New York, 13-8 — the 17th Penn victory in 17 meetings between the schools.
Penn’s scoring depth ultimately led to victory, with three different players — senior attack Caroline Bunting, junior midfield Shannon Mangini and junior attack Courtney Tomchik — all recording hat tricks.
Right from the beginning, the Red and Blue asserted their dominance over the Lions (2-9, 0-5 Ivy), as they started off the game with an impressive 5-0 run.
They held that lead for most of the first half, but two goals by Columbia less than 20 seconds apart as time ticked down in the first half made it a three-goal game, with the second half — which has often been Penn’s kryptonite — still left to play.
But just as they did in the Lehigh game, the Quakers were not to be outdone in the game’s final 30 minutes.
The Red and Blue outscored the Lions, 7-5, in the second half, scoring important goals and running down the clock effectively.
Sophomore goalie Lucy Ferguson had a solid game in the net, recording 10 saves on 23 shots. Senior midfield Maddie Poplawski yet again did a little bit of everything, scoring a goal, winning five draw controls and causing two turnovers.
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The game essentially came down to Penn being able to make the hustle plays that can drastically shift the momentum of a game.
The Quakers won the battle for draw controls, 13-10, while also scooping up five more ground balls than their opponent.
They also did an excellent job of throwing shots at the net. Though they only connected on 13, the Red and Blue barraged the Lions with 30 shots, forcing Columbia’s goalie Colleen Packer to make 12 saves.
The Lions were a one-woman show on offense, with Kacie Johnson scoring five of the team’s eight goals and assisting on two others.
The Red and Blue now have their biggest two games of the season coming up in the next two weeks, against Dartmouth at Penn Park this Friday and against Princeton at Franklin Field the following Wednesday.
The three teams remain tied atop the Ivy League standings, but with upcoming matchups against each other, something is about to give.
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