Having clinched the Ivy title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament last Wednesday against Princeton, the women lacrosse team's 12-4 win over Brown on Sunday may have seemed like icing on the cake.
But the No. 3 Quakers (13-1, 7-0 Ivy) knew they still had a lot to play for.
By defeating the Bears (4-9, 1-4), Penn clinched its first outright Ivy title in program history and took one more step towards homefield advantage throughout the NCAAs.
After failing to capitalize on a number of scoring opportunities in the first half, Penn went into the break with only a 3-0 lead. That they even had a lead at all came thanks to strong play by goalkeeper Sarah Waxman and the Quakers defense.
At halftime, however, head coach Karin Brower reemphasized the importance of the game.
"I told them, 'We haven't earned it yet. We have to earn this title outright. We have to come out and play intense.' Being the team they are, they responded to that."
The Quakers' offense duly broke out at the start of the second half with four unanswered goals in the first seven minutes.
"They were forcing things in the first half," she said. "They just wanted to score. [In the second,] they were running through the plays and finishing."
With the game well in hand, Penn just about traded goals with the Bears for the rest of the contest. The Red and Blue cleared the bench, opening the door for senior Caitlin McDonnell to score her first goal since freshman year. McDonnell was among ten goal scorers for Penn.
The Quakers now take a break for finals, resuming play on Sunday at No. 10 Syracuse.
Brower emphasized the difficulty in playing a team like the Orange, noting their speed and physical style of play - along with the fact that they play in a dome.
The Quakers were able to take down Syracuse last year, though, in what Brower called a "big program-changer." She credited it in part for the team's successes this year.
With a win, the Quakers will likely be granted a top-4 tournament seed. If so, Penn would not have to leave campus to play a single game since the Final Four will be held at Franklin Field.
There's still a lot to play for.
