Defending champs maul W. Lax

Slow starts to each half proved too much for the Penn women's lacrosse team to overcome, as it fell, 13-8, at the hands of reigning national champion Princeton.

The loss dropped the Quakers to 6-9 overall and 2-4 in the Ivy League, and ended any hopes they had of completing the season with a .500 record.

A slow start in the first half -- a problem that has plagued the Quakers all year long -- left Penn playing catch-up from the very beginning.

The Tigers came out firing, as they scorched Penn senior goalkeeper Alaina Harper for three early goals and staked themselves a 3-0 lead.

"I think we played scared," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "It was a shame.

"If we could have gotten those first 10 minutes back, I think it could have been a different outcome."

The Quakers scored at the ten-minute mark in the first half, as junior Lindsey Cassidy netted Penn's first goal. Cassidy also contributed Penn's second goal off of a feed from freshman Emily Cochran as the Red and Blue cut the Tigers' lead to 4-2 with 16 minutes to play before halftime.

Princeton's Leigh Slonaker responded with her second of three goals of the afternoon to renew the Tigers' three-goal advantage. However, the Quakers' Kate Murray struck right back three minutes later to bring the score to 5-3.

Princeton went on another 3-0 run to take an imposing 8-3 lead. Penn senior Alison-Polk Williams and sophomore Katie Spofford each tallied late first half goals for the Quakers, but the Princeton still held a sizable 8-5 halftime lead.

Princeton came out in the second half and once again was able to quickly establish its dominance. The Tigers scored the first two goals of the second half to open up what turned out to be an insurmountable 10-5 lead.

Despite the impending defeat, senior Crissy Book was able to pick up her level of intensity in the latter stages of the game to contribute three goals and an assist.

Playing in her second-to-last collegiate game, Book carried the offensive load for the Red and Blue in the second half after a rather sluggish start.

"I'm happy that this team has never given up," Brower said. "We always have strong second halves, and we have played hard until the end."

Despite the efforts of Book and her teammates, Penn was never able to close the gap that Princeton established in the beginning of each half, as Penn never again got within four goals.

Even though they entered the game as underdogs, the Red and Blue believed that they could pull off the upset and possibly end their season with a .500 record.

After last season's strong campaign, there were high hopes heading into this year's action. A mid-season losing skid, however, quickly ended Penn's chances of winning an Ivy League crown.

Nevertheless, an upset victory over arch-rival Princeton could have brightened the season's outcome.

"It's frustrating that we haven't played a full 60-minute game yet," Brower said. "We come out with a lack of confidence and then we realize that we can play with any team.

"But by then, it's already too late."

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