TOWSON, Md, May 25 - Over the past two years, Northwestern has been the one roadblock for the women's lacrosse team.
Going into Sunday's NCAA final, Northwestern had given Penn two of the team's three losses since the start of the 2007 campaign. And after defeating the Quakers 10-6, Northwestern remains Penn's fly in the ointment.
Leading for just three-and-a-half of the game's 60 minutes, the Quakers yet again fell to the Wildcats, this time in front of a Johnny Unitas Stadium crowd of 6,125 - a record for a championship game.
It was Northwestern's fourth-consecutive National Championship, while it was the first-ever NCAA finals berth for any Penn team in a purely team sport.
"Four in a row? Wow - it really feels great," Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte-Hiller said. "I'm at a loss for words. It makes me so proud to be part of Northwestern University."
Northwestern (21-1) was led by its outstanding junior duo of Hilary Bowen (3 goals, one assist) and Hannah Nielsen (3g, 3a). Bowen also tied a record with 17 total goals in the NCAA tournament, earning her second-straight Most Outstanding Player award.
"I'm not even thinking about [the MOP] now," Bowen said. "Coming into the game, we knew everyone would have to contribute and this would be a team win. Every individual did their part and we won another championship."
For Penn (17-2), this game was a disappointing end to an historic season. It saw Penn earn its first ever No. 1 ranking, its longest winning streak (15 games) and its furthers run in the NCAA Tournament.
"Not only did we make history for our program, we made history for our university, which is really exciting," senior attack Rachel Manson said. "We couldn't be prouder of ourselves. Our team worked very hard to be here, but unfortunately we didn't come out with the win."
The 10-6 score tied for the worst of the season in goals allowed and goals scored for the Red and Blue. Individually, the Quakers were led by sophomore Ali DeLuca's two goals. She was the only Quaker to earn multiple points.
Ironically, if Penn coach Karin Brower knew before the game that the final score would be 10-6, she probably would've thought that Penn would win. That's because the Quakers play a slow, deliberate style, averaging about 10 goals a game and giving up only six. In fact, when Penn beat Northwestern April 27, the score was 11-7.
This style was noted by the Wildcats in their preparations.
"I think we remembered our first game against Penn," Bowen said. "We had some turnovers and forced things. So today we wanted to slow it down and play a little of their game."
Also different for the Wildcats was goalkeeper Morgan Lanthrop's play. The junior gave up 11 goals against Penn on April 27, but she matched that number last night not with number of goals allowed, but with number of saves. Those 11 saves tied her season-high, as she frustrated the Penn attack all night.
"We had our chances," said Penn senior attack Melissa Lehman, who was held without a point for the first time this year. "We were getting into the lane but I think we just rushed our shots . if you want to score, you can't be rushed."
Northwestern's run of four straight NCAA championships is only the second longest such streak. Maryland won seven straight from 1995 to 2001. Amonte-Hiller, a star for two of those championship teams, believes that her Northwestern teams' feat is just as impressive due to the changing landscape of the sport.
"I think it's a completely different world in women's lacrosse now," she said. "There are so many good teams and Penn is among them . Back when I played at Maryland, we were the top seed and we got a bye into the Final Four. Truly, it was much easier back then."
Even to get to the championship game was an achievement for the Quakers. After dispatching Colgate (16-7) and Boston University (8-5), in the first two rounds, Penn faced Duke, the Cinderella team of the tournament, in the semifinals. The Red and Blue overcame a three-goal second-half deficit to force overtime, where Manson buried the game-winner.
While their run clearly hasn't come close to Northwestern's, the Quakers are also at the pinnacle of their program's success, as the last two years have been the best in Penn history. And Brower was quick to point to the graduating seniors as the key to the program's meteoric rise.
"I think these seven seniors are leaving a legacy of working hard," Brower said. "These seven have gone out and done extra . I think they set an excellent example which will help keep Penn on top."
