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Have no more than one loss in a strong non-conference schedule. Cruise to 5-0 in the Ivy League. Enter a huge match with rival Princeton. Beat the Tigers soundly. Rinse. Repeat.

For the last three seasons, that's been the recipe for success (in the regular season at least) for the women's lacrosse team.

In 2007 the Quakers took that formula to heart, going 16-2 and 7-0 in the Ancient Eight - including a 14-10 victory over Princeton - with their only two loses coming to eventual National Champion Northwestern in the regular season and then again in the Final Four.

Last year the Quakers had a wake up call in an early-season 10-8 loss to Stanford. But after that, the team went on a tear, winning 15 straight games - including both a 9-5 win over the Tigers and its first ever win over Northwestern, 11-7 - before falling to the Wildcats in the NCAA Finals, 10-6.

This year their dominance has been even more pronounced. The team is currently 12-0, its best ever mark to start a season. They've beaten six ranked teams, including No. 7 Princeton by a 10-5 score last night.

Indeed, one thing is clear about this team: Its rise to prominence is truly a great accomplishment in and of itself.

With the win over the Tigers, Penn now has won 30 straight regular season games at home and 21 straight Ivy games.

This Penn team was pretty bad before coach Karin Brower arrived here after the disastrous 1-12 1999 season. The squad hadn't had back-to-back seasons over .500 since 1982-83, with the '82 team the last one to win an Ivy title.

Immediately there was a change in the attitude of the team - and in its results. By 2001, Brower's second season at the helm, the Quakers notched eight victories.

With this win last night - clinching the team's third straight Ivy League title - Brower has definitely proven that her success is permanent.

Ask around. Players and opposing coaches are quite impressed with this remarkable turnaround.

"They've done a tremendous job," Princeton coach Chris Sailer said of Brower and her assistants. "Penn's now a competitive team in the League, and that's great for Ivy League lacrosse. It makes our whole conference stronger."

Sailer knows what she's talking about. Not only has she coached Princeton for 24 years and won three NCAA and nine Ivy League titles, but she used to be Brower's boss - Brower is a former assistant of hers.

For senior Becca Edwards, winning three Ivy titles to close out her career is a dream come true.

"It's amazing," she said. "It's all Karin and . the attitude she's instilled in us players. We believed we could do it, and it means so much to me to know that we've developed into this."

Princetons of the world, beware: This Quakers team might keep on repeating its formula for years to come.

Zach Klitzman is a junior History major from Bethesda, Md., and is Sports Editor of The Daily Pennsylvanian. His e-mail address is klitzman@dailypennsylvanian.com.

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