Comeback Quakers in semis

Despite a 13-game winning streak and a No. 2 national ranking this season, the Penn women's lacrosse team is no blueblood in the sport. In fact, this year's appearance in the NCAA tournament is only the third in team history.

So the fact that the team has advanced to its first ever Final Four has greatly impressed the other Final Four coaches.

"It's been an incredible year in Division-I lacrosse . with teams like Penn emerging as one of the top teams," Duke coach Kerstin Kimel said in a conference call with all of the Final Four coaches.

"Penn has gotten better every game of the season," Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller added. "[Penn coach Karin Brower] has done a phenomenal job. Karin has worked so hard and recruited so well; now Penn's a player on the national stage."

Seeded at No. 4, the Quakers (16-1) will try to solidify that claim when they take on No. 1 Northwestern (19-1) tomorrow at 6 PM at Franklin Field in the first of two Final Four games. The other semifinal pits No. 3 Virginia (18-3) against No. 2 Duke (16-3).

Although the Quakers are the lowest remaining seed, the remaining games will be played at Franklin Field because Penn was the predetermined host institution for the Final Four.

Before the Quakers earned their first trip to the semifinals, they had to take care of business against Maryland. And that was easier said than done.

Not even 13 minutes into the quarterfinals matchup against No. 5 Maryland last Saturday, normally rock-solid junior goalkeeper Sarah Waxman and the rest of the Quakers were down 4-0.

"It hit me pretty hard," Waxman said of the four quick goals. "At first I was like, 'Ah, oh my god.'"

But after a quick timeout by Brower, the Quakers recovered, outscoring the Terrapins 3-1 in the remaining 17 minutes of the half.

And that was just the beginning of the rally.

Keyed by a five-nil run in the second half, the Quakers came back in dramatic fashion, pulling out a 9-7 victory at Franklin Field.

Although Penn's 11 points were spread among six players, one offensive player really stood out. Sophomore Becca Edwards, the team's third leading scorer, only had an assist in the first half, but she lit up in the second half scoring both the go-ahead and the eventual game-winning goals.

Before the go-ahead goal "I hadn't been shooting well," Edwards said. "I knew it was time to step up and focus. I knew I had my girl beat, and just shot around her to screen the shot. It just went in and it was very exciting."

For the Terrapins (16-4), the game was its third loss in six games, a bad way to end what was otherwise a good season that saw them start off at 13-1.

Brower credits the team's calm under pressure to two games earlier in the season.

"I think we've had two big games where we've come from behind: Dartmouth and Syracuse," she said. "Our team knew we could settle down and play some good defense, and our shots would start falling."

But now that Northwestern lies in the Quakers' path, the Quakers will have even more work cut out for them.

For one thing, the Wildcats are responsible for the Quakers' only loss of the season, a 13-4 drubbing in Evanston on March 9. Also, the Wildcats are two-time defending national champions.

Furthermore, Northwestern has one of the best players in the nation, senior Kristen Kjellman.

"[Kjellman] is a fantastic player," Brower said. "She's deadly on the inside, she makes great cuts, but she's not someone you really want to foul. She's one of the best players out there - if not the best player - and you have to worry about her . it's not likely to shut her down, you just try to limit her as much as possible."

Fortunately for the Quakers, they have two senior leaders on defense in Karen Jann and Sarah Eastburn, as well as one of the best goalkeepers in the nation in Waxman.

"Our defense has been solid for us all year," Brower said.

However, she added that "Northwestern has a lot of scoring threats."

If the Quakers want to get even more praise from the dynastic teams they'll face this weekend, they'll need to do their best against those threats.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.