A game away

 

Update: Here's a preview I posted online for Uwire.com

I've been away for the last few days, so I haven't been able to write a standard preview for the women's lacrosse game today between No. 2 Penn (16-1) and unseeded Duke (13-7) in the Final Four. First draw is at 8:30 p.m. from Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium. The winner will face the team that advances from the No. 1 Northwestern-No. 5 Syracuse semifinal at 6 p.m.

Instead, I'll have some select quotes from Penn coach Karin Brower from a press conference held Tuesday with the Final Four coaches. Many members of the national media were more interested in Brower's view of Northwestern than anything else. Also I'll compare the key stats for both sides.

Brower On being back in the Final Four: Well we're very excited to be back at the Final Four for the second straight year. We have a great group of seniors who have been exceptional leaders all year and we're excited to be playing Duke.

On beating Northwestern: Northwestern plays a different defense then everyone else, so you really can't play your normal offense against them. They don't let you set up the draw, or let you relax and get around and into typical plays. They're constantly doubling you. You need a few weeks to prepare and be composed.

On the job Northwestern Coach Kelly Amonte-Hiller has done: I think Kelly has done an exceptional job of getting the Northwestern players to have confidence in themselves. That was the toughest thing for me here at Penn, for a team that would keep losing in a tough conference. It was about getting kids to believe that they really can win. And I think Kelly has done great job with that, as her kids play with so much confidence.

On Penn winning in the Ivy League: I think when I came here the team had been losing pretty badly to the Princetons, the Dartmouths. We had to get kids that are exceptionally motivated, and get them to believe. We got some of those kids in place [now] that are just workers, maybe they have a little chip in their shoulders.

On Penn not getting respect: We haven't gotten any respect in years past. Like last year we weren't even ranked in the preseason polls, but teams we had beaten the year before were ranked ahead of us. Our kids said we're better than that, and they proved that.

On making Penn good again: When I came to Penn... they had dropped a little bit. I hoped to bring Penn up to the tradition of excellence they used to have.

On becoming a dynasty: We'd love the opportunity to play in the Championship Game, whether it's against Syracuse or Northwestern. If we win then great. But lacrosse is growing, and every school is getting better. What Northwestern has done is incredible. It'd be a tough thing to follow.

Stats: Duke is 2-0 all-time against Penn. They played a home-and-home in 2002 and 2003, with the Blue Devils winning the first match 13-7 at home and then again 15-5 at Franklin Field in 2003.

Like most of Penn's opponents this year, Duke averages more goals per game than the Quakers, scoring 13.55 per match. The Quakers meanwhile only average 10.59. But of course Penn's defense is its biggest strength, as its 6.00 goals-allowed-average is tops in the nation. Duke gives up 10.15.

As such, Duke's point total of 384 is ninth in the nation (fifth of any team who made the tournament), while Penn's isn't in the top 30. In scoring defense Penn is first, and Duke is 29th. But in the end Penn has more of a scoring advantage, as its scoring margin of 4.59 goals per game ranks ninth, while Duke's 3.40 ranks 15th.

That's it for now. But I'm going to have game updates later tonight.

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