After giving up a first half lead, the tenth-ranked Quakers (2-0, 0-0 Ivy) defeated the No. 18 Blue Jays (3-1) by a score of 10-7, powered by eight goals – yes, eight – from junior midfielder Alex Condon. Condon’s goal tally, which was a career high for her and one away from both the Penn and Ivy League record books, brings her season goal total to ten over just two games.

On an unseasonably warm day in front of a raucous crowd of more than 1,500 people, No. 17 Penn pulled out a wild upset win in a back-and-forth battle between two top-20 teams, beating back No. 6 Virginia’s persistent attack in an 11-10 win. A stark contrast from the Red and Blue’s easy win over St. Joseph’s, the signature win serves as a reminder of the hard road that lies ahead.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s February. Lacrosse season has barely started. There’s no way the Penn men and women are playing meaningful games already. Well, if I’m as good of a mind reader as I have claimed, then all of you would be wrong.

Don’t sleep on Penn men’s lacrosse. That’s not just a message to the students here at Penn or even to the team’s rivals in the Ivy League. That’s a message to all of college lacrosse.

Kicking things off on the road at Newark, Delaware this past Saturday, the No. 11 Quakers pulled out a tight 9-7 victory over a strong Delaware team. During the run of play, two Penn players manage to set career-highs for themselves en route to picking up the team’s first win of the season.

Nothing beats the taste of sweet, sweet revenge. This past weekend, Penn men’s lacrosse (1-0) took a trip up to City Avenue to faceoff against local rival St.

This Saturday, both Penn lacrosse teams will open their 2017 campaigns. For the women, this will be first test of their No. 11 preseason ranking in this year’s ILWCA poll. As has been the case in the past three years, the Quakers will start off against Delaware, in what has been a notably close rivalry of late.

The Quakers set their sights on the NCAA National Championship, and were seeded at No. 7 for the tournament. Wagner and Towson were the first two challengers, and the Red and Blue took care of them easily by scores of 17-7 and 12-4, respectively. The Quakers were then faced with Penn State, a competitor that coach Corbett felt the team had a “great opportunity” to defeat. Unfortunately, the offense that had been so prolific throughout the year had an off day, and they fell by a score of 8-4.

When you fight your way to a national quarterfinal game like Penn women's lacrosse did last year, well, it’s no wonder that the best players come from far and wide to don the Red and Blue. And though the roster lost some big names after graduation last May, the arrival of such an impressive class of 2020 seems to be a harbinger of a new era of lacrosse excellence here at Franklin Field.

When it comes to replacing Corcoran, there is no one-for-one swap. Sophomore Chrissy Corcoran, Nina’s younger sister, has gotten looks behind the goal and will be starting in Saturday’s season opener against Delaware. Junior Emily Rogers-Healion, one of the team’s best on the draw, has also appeared in that lead role behind the net. Finally, freshman midfield Gabby Rosenzweig has worked behind the cage in practice.

After a solid 2016 season, Penn Men’s lacrosse is looking to maintain their level of success but is aiming big in what they hope to achieve in the season that is fast approaching. Last season the team went 8-7 overall, with a 4-2 record in the conference and 4-5 out of conference.

The Quakers have placed third in the Ivy standings four out of the past five years. And, despite owning the league’s best overall record and winning the year-end conference tournament in 2014, Penn has been consistently excluded from the top tier of Ivy League lacrosse.

Seniors Kevin Gayhardt, Eric Persky, and Kevin McDonough combine to form one of the most formidable defensive units in the country. Gayhardt, the captain, is a vocal leader who matches up well with big attackmen, as evidenced by his even battles with Yale’s Reeves last season. Persky is an active on-ball defender who rarely requires a slide. And McDonough’s agility and foot speed make him a nuisance for opposing ball carriers.

This past summer, four sophomore members of Penn men’s lacrosse – Alex Roesner, Simon Mathias and Tyler Dunn on attack and Noah Lejman on defense – traveled to Coquitlam, British Columbia to compete in the FIL U-19 World Championships, the most prestigious international competition for their age group.

Penn athletics is seemingly teeming with wunderkinds. Just about every team seems to have their own underclassmen superstar.

The Federation of International Lacrosse Under-19 World Championship took place in Canada over the past two weeks, and tournament champions Team U.S.A. relied on a core composition of Quakers throughout the six games. Five individuals — four athletes and a coach — represented Penn in the Canadian province of British Columbia as the U.S. defended its title in the Under-19 World Championship.

For most of Penn’s undergraduate population, the end of the final exam period signals the time for kicking back, relaxing and fondly looking back at the previous year. But for a very lucky, very small fraction of the student body, the onset of summer simply means business as usual. Playing on a varsity spring sport inherently carries the risk of playing past the school year’s conclusion, and 2016 was no exception.