Coming off of a stunning win at Johns Hopkins, the Penn women's lacrosse team knew that a trip to Columbia would likely be a walk in the park.
Even so, the No. 14 Quakers sprinted from start to finish Saturday, netting nine first-half goals to lift them to an easy 14-6 win over the Lions (3-6, 0-3 Ivy).
The victory brought Penn's winning streak up to five games and kept the Quakers' undefeated record against Columbia intact; the Lions have yet to beat Penn (8-1, 3-0) in program history.
Coach Karin Brower credited the team's aggressiveness out of the gate as a decisive factor.
"We wanted to make sure that we came out and scored the first goal and set the tone for the game," she said.
And Penn did just that, as junior Allison Ambrozy notched the first goal just three minutes into the game off of a pretty pass from senior Chrissy Muller.
After a Lions goal, the Quakers burned the back of the net nine straight times to put the game well out of reach for the Lions.
The run to end the first half saw a trio of tallies from junior Rachel Manson, while Ambrozy and Muller chipped in with goals of their own, and junior Melissa Lehman added a pair. Manson had four to lead all players.
With a virtually insurmountable lead, Penn emptied the bench and slowed the tempo.
Junior goalie Sarah Waxman had another stellar day in the net, giving up only one goal and making four saves in the first half.
Brower noted that the unwillingness to overlook Columbia - the perennial Ivy cellar-dweller - helped to keep up the energy.
"Coming off a big win and maintaining that intensity for a game with a team that we've beaten . is sometimes a struggle," she said. "We came out really pumped and strong."
The Red and Blue's torrid 8-1 start is their best since 1980, when the team went 8-1-1 in the first 10 games of the season.
With momentum on their side, Penn hits the road for the third straight game to take on No. 10 Penn State, a team that Penn upset last year at Franklin Field.
But with the way this year has gone so far, another Quakers win over the Nittany Lions wouldn't be a complete surprise.
