W. Lax shocks Harvard, Vice Pres.

Al Gore watchesAl Gore watchesdaughter, CrimsonAl Gore watchesdaughter, Crimsonlose to Penn for firstAl Gore watchesdaughter, Crimsonlose to Penn for firsttime since 1979 In general, major political figures only appear at sporting events which warrant national attention. Bill Clinton is known for his strong interest in NCAA tournament games involving the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball team. Jimmy Carter always seems to be present at Atlanta Braves postseason home games. Mayors throughout the nation will come out to the ballpark today to witness their home teams' season openers. Yesterday, however, Vice President Al Gore was at Franklin Field as the Penn women's lacrosse team came from behind to defeat Harvard, 9-8. Gore showed up unexpectedly to watch his daughter Kristin, a freshman midfielder for the Crimson. "He was really just a father that came out to see his daughter play," Quakers coach Anne Sage said. "If they had announced he was going to be there, a lot more people probably would have come out and it would have been a big event. There must have been at least 25 Secret Service men there. "Word got out and all the girls knew he was there, but it wasn't a factor in the way they played. Once they got out on the field, they were just thinking about lacrosse." And that concentration paid off as the Quakers (2-2, 2-0 Ivy League) defeated Harvard (1-2, 0-2) for the first time since Ivy League women's lacrosse competition began in 1979. The Crimson dominated the game in the first half, taking a 7-4 lead by halftime. But Penn fought back, scoring the first five goals of the second half. Senior goalie Alexis Seth limited the Crimson to only one goal, at 10:31 of the second half, allowing the Quakers to pull out the victory. "This was a big game for us and everyone pulled together for it," Sage said. "We were down and some of our key players stepped up. It's really a big confidence builder." Senior attacker Alanna Wren, sophomore attacker Jamie Schemberg and sophomore midfielder Sue Pierce led Penn with two goals each. Senior attacker Amy Shapiro also scored, while leading the Quakers with three assists. "This is just the beginning of what this team is capable of," Sage said. "Right now we're mainly looking for team development and increased confidence and this is a big step in the right direction."