National lacrosse powers bury Penn over break

Lacrosse is a sport decided by momentum. Those teams that have it can become nearly untouchable, and those that don't will find it almost impossible to catch up. The Quakers learned this lesson the hard way, as they lost the first two contests of their spring break campaign against national powerhouses Duke and Johns Hopkins due to slow starts, according to coach Karin Brower. Their most recent game against Lafayette on March 14, however, showcased a Penn squad that dictated the tempo of play from the first whistle, as it cruised to a 14-1 victory. The Quakers set the pace from the start, as Crissy Book found the back of the net only 1:23 into the game. The Leopards answered with their only goal of the game, tying the score at 1-1. As the Quakers responded with a quick goal, recovering their momentum, the Leopards found themselves helpless against an onslaught that left them trailing, 9-1, at the half. Book and Lindsey Cassidy each tallied a hat trick in the contest. Kate Murray picked up a pair of goals, and Katie Spofford and freshman Emily Cochran also scored to seal the win. The Quakers proved themselves to be a solid offensive force in their contest against No. 15 Johns Hopkins on March 11, creating numerous opportunities as they out-shot the Blue Jays, 22-20. The barrage of shots on goal was no match, however, for the Blue Jays' accuracy. Co-captain Whitney Horton scored the Quakers' lone goal in the first half, answering a 5-0 Johns Hopkins run in the first 16 minutes of play. The Quakers came back from a 6-1 deficit after the first half, outscoring the Blue Jays in the second half, 3-2. The late burst was not enough, however, to overcome Johns Hopkins, as the Blue Jays walked away with an 8-4 victory. "We won the second half, but we just couldn't finish on the shooting opportunities," Brower said. Chelsea Kaden, Book, and Cassidy each nailed the back of the net in the second half. The Quakers could not keep up with No. 2 Duke in a hard-fought struggle on March 8, as the Blue Devils emerged with a 15-5 victory. The Blue Devils opened the game with a bang, scoring five goals in the first 8:30 of action. "We need to be on top from the beginning of the game with teams of their caliber," Book said. "We were playing almost as if we didn't want the ball, so we really dug ourselves into a hole." The Quakers were able to hold off the Blue Devils for the rest of the half, tightening their defense, behind co-captain Christy Bennett. Cassidy and Book capitalized on scoring chances to narrow Duke's lead, leaving the score 5-2 at half-time. "We were playing scared at first, but then we had a good 20 minutes," Brower said. "Duke was much faster than we were, though, and they ran away in the second half." The second stanza unfolded much the same way as the first, with the Blue Devils finding the back of the net six times in the first 10 minutes of play. The Quakers' efforts to contain the Blue Devils came up short. The Blue Devils' Kate Kaiser reeled off three more unanswered goals, putting the Duke lead beyond reach at 14-3. Book, Murray, and Cassidy each scored in the second half, narrowing the final score to a slightly more respectable 15-5. The Quakers will take on rival Temple across town tomorrow. "Temple is a team we haven't beaten in the time I've been here," Brower said. "But I'm confident that if we're ready right off the whistle, we can really take it to them."

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