W. Lax | Quakers prove Achilles heel to UNC

With just one second left on the clock in the Penn women's lacrosse team's game against Yale Saturday, Samantha Bird netted one last goal to put the icing on the Quakers' spring break cake.

Over the break, Penn swept its games against No. 9 North Carolina, Boston University and Yale.

Last Friday on Franklin Field, the No. 5 Quakers topped the Tar Heels, 11-2. Junior Courtney Lubbe scored five goals and had three assists. Opportunities were created for Lubbe when the UNC defense decided to pressure the Red and Blue (5-0) behind the net. Lubbe and senior Becca Edwards, who tallied three goals of her own, were ready and waiting.

"We both work on the crease together," Lubbe said. "When they play high pressure behind the cage, we can isolate that player and beat them. It makes its so much better to find the open player."

The Quakers' defense was able to hold UNC (5-2) to only two goals. They began to pressure the Tar Heels' attack outside of the eight-meter arc, forcing UNC to take weak shots which often flew above the crossbar.

In the Quakers' 13-7 victory over BU (3-3) Wednesday, junior Emma Spiro scored four goals.

Like UNC before them, the Terriers attempted to utilize the fast break in order to work the ball into its attacking end. But having seen this act a few days before, the Red and Blue managed to slow down the Terriers in transition.

"Both are definitely run-and-gun teams," said Ali DeLuca, who scored two goals. "For the past two weeks we've been practicing being able to defend . teams that are fast-break teams."

The referees called a tight game - 40 fouls were committed - and the Terriers capitalized, scoring on three of their four free position shots. Penn's strong defense held BU senior Sarah Dalton, who has 25 goals on the season, to only three points.

In their last game of the week, the Quakers beat Ivy League rival Yale, 10-2. The Quakers controlled the tempo of the game, obtaining possession on all of the 14 draws. A well-rounded draw-control core of six players combined on the feat. Freshman lefty Erin Brennan, who scored two goals on the day, was lined up at center.

"If I didn't get it to where I want it to go, I think everyone on the circle and behind [it] did a great job of coming up with it or coming off of the check when Yale did pick it up," Brennan said. "It was a great team effort."

Although the Bulldogs held possession of the ball for extended periods of time, they only managed to take eight shots on goal. Both Penn goalies appeared in the game, allowing one goal each. Freshman goalie Emily Leitner played the second half and made three saves.

"Leitner proved today that she can save and Emily Szelest has been great for us for five games," coach Karin Brower said. "It's nice to know that if we have one that is having a bad day, the other can come in."

Bulldogs Jenn Warden and Jessica Sturgill were constantly at the top of the arc ready to challenge. Warden, who has 16 goals on the season, was held to only two goals on the day, while Sturgill was completely shut down.

"[Warden] is a senior and their best player," Brower said. "We knew what their offense was; it wasn't any different than what we prepared for and we did a good job with it."

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