W. Lax turns confidence into first league triumph

Amazing what a little confidence can do. In posting a very strong showing versus Princeton, the defending national champs, last Wednesday, the Penn women's lacrosse team captured a feeling in defeat they weren't able to muster in three earlier victories -- a feeling of supreme confidence. This discovery carried a rejuvenated Penn squad north to Providence, R.I., Saturday, where the team had the opportunity to test its new outlook. At Brown Stadium, it didn't take the Red and Blue very long to realize just how far this infusion of spirit would take them. They pounced on the Bears from the outset, scoring three goals in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the afternoon affair. The Quakers rode the wave of that torrid start to victory, defeating Brown 8-5 for their first Ivy League win of the season in what was the team's Ancient Eight finale for the '95 campaign. With the win, Penn improves its record to 3-6 on the year, 1-5 in the Ivy League, while Brown falls to 5-4 and 0-4 in Ivy play. In the scoring flurry that marked the game's start, attacker Lori Frutkin tallied a trifecta of assists. However, it wasn't until Brown retaliated with a goal that Frutkin really caught fire. To put the contest out of the home team's reach, Frutkin racked up three goals of her own. While Frutkin's individual effort stands out impressively, the Red and Blue's first Ivy win of the year was a true team effort. The defense, anchored by netminder Alexis Seth's 12 saves, allowed fewer goals -- five -- than it has against any opponent this season. Prior to Saturday, the team hadn't even been able to keep rival squads from reaching double digits in scoring. The defense's stinginess against Brown stands as testament to the team effort the Quakers were able to put together en route to the victory. With the defense rock solid and the offense clicking on all cylinders, the secret to this triumph may very well have laid in the midfield, which was orchestrated by Emmy Hansel, who managed a goal and two assists, and Jessica Gilhorn, who scored off Frutkin's second assist of the day. For the Quakers, this win came at a very opportune time in the season. After surviving a killer schedule, which pitted them against eight of the top 10 teams in the country to open the year, this victory will enable a deftly talented side to make the transition to the soft underbelly of games remaining on the docket. From here on in, Penn will actually have the chance to enter games as the favorite. With only three outings remaining, a hot streak could enable the team to finish with a .500 record, a more than respectable feat considering the competition it has been forced to endure all year.

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