Finally! W. Lax beats Terps 9-7 to advance to semifinals

Not 13 minutes into the biggest game of their lives, against No. 5 seed Maryland on Sunday, rock-solid Penn goalkeeper Sarah Waxman and the rest of the No. 4 Quakers were shell-shocked.

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

But after a quick timeout by coach Karin 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 as they earned the program's first ever trip to the Final Four.

The Quakers (16-1) will now face top-seeded Northwestern on Friday at 6 pm with a berth to the national championship game on the line.

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

Before the go-ahead goal, "I hadn't been shooting well," Edwards said. "So 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."

"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."

In the Dartmouth game the Quakers were down 3-0 early, and in the Syracuse game they were down 7-2 with 20 minutes to go and did not take the lead until near the five minute mark.

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

"I'm really proud; we have a great bunch of individuals," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. "I feel sorry the senior class has to go out this way. Unfortunately it ended today. It's tough, since it's sad it has to end."

In addition to earning a spot in the Final Four, beating Maryland was especially sweet for Waxman. As a Washington D.C. native, she grew up hearing about Maryland's women's lacrosse dynasty and its seven straight NCAA crowns.

"Growing up I didn't know that much about lacrosse, but if I knew anything I knew that Maryland was really good. When I saw our [draw against Maryland], I was like, 'oh my god, I'm going to play Maryland.'"

Not only did Waxman just get to play Maryland, but she also made a significant contribution.

"I think one of the big reasons we've done so well is Sarah Waxman," Brower said. "She's always coming up with huge saves, which let's our offense be aggressive."

The other keeper wasn't too bad either. Although Maryland junior Allie Buote let up more goals than Waxman, she also had more saves, 10-7.

In addition to great goalkeeping, the game was also marked by surprisingly physical play. The game saw 39 fouls as well as nine yellow cards.

"They prepared for us physically," Penn senior tri-captain Chrissy Muller said. "But I also think we're a physical team since we don't sit back. At the end it was getting really physical because you could tell they were getting desperate. So it kind of makes you feel good because you know you're controlling the game."

Northwestern now lies in the Quakers' path, as the Wildcats (19-1) defeated Syracuse Sunday 14-9. The Wildcats are responsible for the Quakers' only loss of the season, a 13-4 drubbing in Evanston on March 9.

Although Northwestern is the higher seed, the Final Four matchup will be at Franklin Field, since Penn is the predetermined host institution for the Final Four and championship game.

Considering Northwestern has been ranked number one for the majority of the season and has not lost since an opening day 9-8 overtime fluke to North Carolina, the Quakers might find themselves behind early again. Fortunately for them, they already know they are capable of a big comeback.

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