This Saturday may be the final time women’s lacrosse seniors Erin Brennan and Emily Leitner walk out on to Franklin Field dressed in white Penn uniforms.
Brennan and Leitner will say goodbye to the stadium they’ve called home for four years when No. 9 Penn (6-5, 4-1 Ivy) hosts Brown (6-6, 1-4) in the Quakers’ final regular season home game.
“It’s crazy that Emily and I are seniors now. I can’t believe it,” Brennan said. “I think it’s going to be nice having all our friends and family there [on Saturday] to support us.”
The pair have been integral to the success of the women’s lacrosse program. Brennan is currently leading the team in goals and assists for the second straight season, while Leitner is in her second season as Penn’s full-time goalkeeper.
Both players share the captaincy this year, while Brennan was also a co-captain in her junior season.
“Erin has impacted this program from day one,” coach Karin Brower Corbett said of the 2009 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. “You could tell her freshman year that the kid was going to be a captain, no question.
“She’s just a kid who is willing to put the team on her shoulders at any point, even as a freshman. We’re going to miss her.”
Corbett had high praise for Leitner as well.
“The team has always come first with Emily,” she said, mentioning that Leitner did not receive much playing time her first two seasons. “She stepped right into owning that goalie position last year and was a great leader for us as well. And this year she has just done a tremendous job.”
The Quakers could conceivably still host the Ivy League Tournament but they would need to win their final two Ivy games and hope league-leading No. 8 Dartmouth finishes with two losses.
“We have to beat Brown, we have to beat Princeton. And whatever happens, happens,” Corbett said. “Do we want to go back to Dartmouth? No. I just want us to do our job. And if that means we go up to Dartmouth, so be it.”
The Red and Blue enter Saturday’s game having dropped three of their last four games and with a losing streak for the first time all season.
“Especially after these two losses, we really need to come out there with a fire from the start and play 60 minutes of Penn lacrosse,” Brennan said.
All three of the Quakers’ most recent defeats, however, came against top-10 opponents. Saturday’s game against Brown, who is sitting next-to-last in the Anient Eight, should provide a chance for the team to get back in the win column.
“We need to play our game no matter who our opponent is,” Brennan said.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.