Dynamic freshman duo spurs on W. Lax as it hosts LaSalle

After struggling through a 1-12 season last spring, the Penn women's lacrosse team brought in a new coach, a new attitude and a number of new faces. And these newest Quakers have made immediate impacts. As Penn (4-2) prepares to face La Salle (1-5) at Franklin Field at 7 p.m. tonight, they will be led by two freshmen who have already distinguished themselves. Coatesville High School (Pa.) teammates Christy Bennett and Crissy Book have enjoyed considerable success as rookie starters. Book is Penn's third-leading scorer, with 10 goals and five assists; Bennett is one of the squads strongest defenders, with a team-high 12 ground balls. "I'm very happy with what they've done and I'm excited for the future," Quakers coach Karin Brower said. "They push each other more than any other two in practice. They attack each other all over the field, and they make each other better players." The duo has known each other since second grade, and a one-year hiatus when Book moved to Florida notwithstanding, have played alongside each other year-in and year-out. "I've always played midfield, and Christy was an attack wing in high school," Book said. "But there was never a rivalry. In high school Christy was always the top dog. We've always been competitive." Initially, Book was recruited to play for Penn by former coach Anne Sage and was unsure if Bennett would choose to join her. But after fluctuating between several college choices, Bennett decided to come to West Philadelphia -- and to spend another four years playing alongside Book. "We always had a good connection in high school and we knew where on the field each of us was for the passes kind of instinctively," Bennett said. "Now we're not necessarily looking for each other on the field, but when we practice against each other, we go a little bit harder." In high school, the duo formed quite the potent offensive threat, with both picking up All-Chester County honors. Bennett was also named an honorable mention All-American. At Penn, in the more competitive college game, however, things began to change. Despite initial reluctance, Bennett moved from her natural attacking slot to the unfamiliar position of defense. But in only five games, Bennett has proven to be one of the Quakers' most intimidating defenders. Brower, for one, is impressed by the play of her physical freshman. "She's very vocal, and she's a big leader out there as a freshman," the first-year coach said. "I couldn't really ask any more of her." But, admittedly, Bennett still likes to try for the odd goal or two. "I'm not minding it too bad," said Bennett, who has two goals and two assists. "I still like to get over the line when I can and try for a goal. But I'd rather play defense than sit and wait for an attack spot to open up." Book, on the other hand, plays the same role she did at Coatesville -- the speedster who is all over the field. Book exploded into Penn's offense with a four-goal outburst at Villanova. "Crissy has just great speed and is gifted naturally," Brower said. "And where her speed helps us the most is on defensive transition, when they're bringing the ball on a fast break. She is so quick she can get down there and stop a fast break a lot of times." Now on opposite sides of the ball, the two are destined to find themselves matched up in practice. While this has produced some fierce competition, they find a way to work through their differences to remain friends off the field. Well, almost. "We live in the same neighborhood at home, but if we'd lived in the same room this year, we'd kill each other," said Book, who confessed that the pair will nonetheless share an apartment with a third friend next year. "We didn't live together this year, because we figured if we were in the same room we'd kill each other," Bennett echoed. "She's a little less neat that I am, and I'm spastic about that." Against La Salle, while Bennett and Book are just sharing a field, and not a room, they'll still have to worry about being neat, as Penn looks to pick up a third straight win. The Quakers have struggled to remain consistent and to execute from game to game, fluctuating from nine-goal victories to 10-goal defeats. But if prior games are any indication, La Salle may not be the most difficult opponent. The Explorers fell by nine goals to a Villanova squad that Penn handled 14-7. "Obviously, La Salle got beaten pretty handily by Villanova. I definitely think we should win this game if we stay to our game plan," Brower said. "But we're kind of yo-yoing -- we're not playing consistently."

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