A goal, a big save and finally a 'W'

Sometimes a goal is worth more than one point and a save is worth more than one off the board.

That was the case Sunday, when the now top-ranked Penn women's lacrosse team used a late first-half goal by Allison Ambrozy and a crucial save by Sarah Waxman to stay within two goals of then-No. 1 Northwestern going into the break.

Waxman said that those plays "weren't the reason we won the game, but they gave us a lot of momentum going into halftime."

In reality, those 37 seconds changed the course of the game, and the Quakers' season.

The first 20 minutes were back-and-forth, with the two squads trading goals until Northwestern scored three unanswered goals. With two minutes remaining in the half, it looked as if this could end like the last four matchups, which the Wildcats won by a combined 55-20.

Then, with under a minute remaining in the half, senior Rachel Manson leapt high to reel in a pass and fed Ambrozy to bring the Quakers within two.

That two-goal deficit seemed surmountable.

Northwestern's Hilary Bowen had another idea. She did as she had been doing all half and penetrated the Quakers' defense, earning a free-position shot with just one second on the clock. She fired low, and the ball bounced right into Waxman's body as time expired, revving up the crowd and the Quakers as they headed for the locker room.

"I went into that one just like any other," Waxman said. "But honestly, I can't remember that much. I think I blacked out."

When the Red and Blue resumed play 15 minutes later, something changed. They no longer looked like Northwestern's equals - they looked far superior.

Freshman Giulia Giordano assisted on two goals and added two more of her own. Within five minutes, Penn took its first lead of the game, which it would never relinquish.

"Every half is like a different chapter," Waxman said. "We had the goal that we were going to go harder [in the second half] and I think we did that."

The Wildcats rarely got the opportunity to inch closer, as nearly the entire second half was played in Penn's attacking third.

As the unfamiliar feeling of trailing set in, the Wildcats' frustrations mounted. Momentum and confidence gone, they committed 21 fouls in the second half to Penn's five, and the Quakers were more than happy to take advantage.

Two of their six goals, including Giordano's go-ahead tally, came off of free-position shots.

Knowing that they can beat any team in the nation - even those riding 36-game winning streaks - will undoubtedly give the Quakers confidence heading into the NCAA Tournament in two weeks. Especially if they continue making those game-changing plays at just the right moments.

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