Didn't expect the women's lacrosse team to beat then-No. 12 Johns Hopkins last week?
Too bad. The then-No. 14 Quakers pulled out a dominating 12-4 upset in Baltimore.
Maybe you still weren't convinced, and put money on No. 10 Penn State to beat Penn in State College last night.
Well, better cut those losses while there's still time. The No. 11 Quakers continue to plow ahead, notching a 16-5 victory over the Nittany Lions (7-3, 0-1 ALC).
The win brings Penn (9-1, 3-0 Ivy), off to its best start in program history, to a six-game tear, including its three Ivy victories.
According to Penn coach Karin Brower, senior attacker Chrissy Muller set the tone in the game last night.
Muller started things for the Quakers less than a minute in, intercepting a pass Penn State goaltender Cammie Jurkowsky tried to make to a fellow defender in front of the net, and throwing it back for a goal.
"Chrissy's been our leader on attack for a number of years," Brower said. "She's just that calm, composed person that can put the ball in the net."
After the Quakers sunk two more shots, off a draw control and another turnover, the Nittany Lions looked to regroup and called a timeout.
It didn't help, as a turnover by Penn State's Marisa Lozano in front of the Quakers' net led to a Rachel Manson goal off a feed from Muller.
The Red and Blue held a 8-3 edge at halftime, after Penn goaltender Sarah Waxman let three get past her.
In the second period, Waxman only let two slide by, putting her under her 5.97 goals against average.
"The way she plays every game allows our defense to play really aggressive and take risks because they believe she's going to stop the ball," Brower said.
With the defense clamping down, the offense went to work, as Penn cemented the victory with a 5-0 run to close the game.
Muller, Manson and freshman sensation Ali DeLuca all notched hat tricks, with Muller and DeLuca contributing a pair of assists as well.
Penn's dominance was reflected all over the box score, as it outshot Penn State 28-20 and won five more draw controls than the Nittany Lions.
This victory and the Hopkins win a week ago both came on the road. But last night, the Quakers might have had some help; Muller remarked that the contest felt more like a home game.
"Our parents, our fan base is unreal," Muller said. "I think we might have had more fans here than Penn State."
But still it's not quite the fairy-tale season for Muller and the other seniors.
"There's never a sense that everything is perfect," Muller said. "It keeps us on our toes and just ready for the next thing."
And with these latest results, the next thing may be finishing in the top 10 for the first time since 1989.
