Nationally ranked W. Lax rolls past Rams

After hearing the news this weekend that they were ranked No. 12 in the country, the Penn women's lacrosse team entered its game against Division II West Chester looking to prove its worth. The Quakers did not only show that they could play up to the hype, but Penn walloped the Rams, 15-6. The game opened with the Quakers getting off to a sluggish start. After the first 10 minutes of play, the score was knotted at four, and Penn (3-2, 2-0 Ivy League) appeared to be playing against a team that was commensurate with its ability. However, the Quakers then began to increase their intensity on offense, creating scoring opportunities. In response, Nicole Manos, West Chester's senior goalkeeper, also raised her level of play. Manos blocked three consecutive penalty shots and managed to keep the Rams within striking distance. With 12 minutes, 21 seconds remaining in the first half, Penn freshman Lee Ann Sechovicz slashed through the Rams' defense and provided the first goal in over 10 minutes of action. The goal sparked the Quakers, who then added two more goals before half's end. Just before the first frame came to a close, the Rams managed to break through the Quakers' defense and set up freshman Nancy Franklin for a goal. The point cut the Quakers' lead to 7-5, and the game appeared to be a tight contest between equally matched teams. "In the first half, rather than playing up to our capability, we played down to their level," Penn coach Anne Sage said. "We needed to come out in the second half and play our game. We needed to increase our emotion and play harder." The Quakers took Sage's words to heart, as they opened the second half with a ferocity not exhibited thus far n 1997. The offense seemed to be moving more fluidly, and the passes were crisper then before. Sage put usual starting goalie Sue Back in for the second half, after Melissa Rantz gained invaluable experience in the net for most of the first. With 26:14 remaining, junior attacker Jaime Schemberg slashed through the Rams defense and scored a goal to put the Quakers up 8-4. Just 30 seconds later, Red and Blue freshman Brooke Jenkins sprinted across half of the field on her way to another score. And with less than a half minute ticking off the clock from the the previous goal, junior Sue Pierce received a pass from freshman Therese Kolata for yet another Penn score. The quick goals gave Penn a comfortable 10-4 lead and opened the game up. The Quakers were now controlling the faceoffs and getting to all of the groundballs. The Rams offense seemed to be non-existent, as the Quakers were constantly on West Chester's side of the turf. "We came out and played a very strong second half," Penn tri-captain Amy Tarr said. "It was good to see the team play a strong second half -- something we have not been really doing all year." Penn continued to dominate both offensively and defensively as the second half continued. With 15 minutes remaining, the score had ballooned to 12-5, and a once-tight game was now under complete command of the Quakers. The feeling of control was exemplified when Sage pulled Tarr out of the game for a rest and began to rotate more players into the game. Not to go unnoticed was the strong goalkeeping of Back. While the Rams only managed sporadic attacks on Back, she was relentless and did not allow anything to get by her. She left the game with just under 12 minutes remaining after not giving up a goal. With under two minutes to go in the game, the Rams scored their only goal of the half to close to 15-6. However, that was the final goal of the game and the Quakers' domination of the Rams was finally over. Pierce, who scored three goals in the game, summarized the attitude of the team best. "We came out in the second half and wanted to play our game," said Pierce. "I think our ability to play as team offensively in the second half allowed us to play up to our potential."