Penn Sport_Spring08.indd - University of Penn Athletics

TOWSON, Md. NCAA FINMaking HistoryThe Penn women’s lacrosse team didn’t skip a beat in returning to championship weekend for thesecond consecutive year—in fact, the Quakers added a step in winning a program-best 15 straightgames that led them to the NCAA final.During the regular season, Penn did what no Ivy League team other than Dartmouth had donesince 1996—beat Princeton at Princeton. That win clinched a share of the Ivy title that the Quakerswon outright at home three days later. A week later, Penn played the game they had waited 11months for—a rematch with No. 1 Northwestern. The Quakers dominated the day, shutting outthe Wildcats in the second half and winning 11-7. The win halted NU’s 36-game winning streak andboosted Penn to its first ever No. 1 national ranking.In the postseason, the Quakers were the No. 2 seed and beat Colgate (16-7) and Boston University(8-5) before traveling to Towson University, just outside Baltimore, Md., for championship weekend.In the semifinal, Penn faced a Duke team that was making its fourth-straight appearance in thesemis. The Blue Devils held a three-goal lead with 18 minutes to play, but the Quakers rallied withfour unanswered goals to take an 8-7 lead. A Duke goal in the final minute of regulation addeddrama to an already exciting contest. In overtime, senior Rachel Manson scored the game-winnerwith 42 seconds left thanks to a pass from newcomer Giulia Giordano.The win put the women in their first NCAA championship game in program history. The win alsoelevated women’s lacrosse to the ranks of Penn’s men’s and women’s squash, men’s and women’sfencing, heavyweight and lightweight men’s rowing teams that have all contended for a nationaltitle in recent memory.Though the rematch between the Quakers and Northwestern went to the ‘Cats, 10-6, Penn closedits season with a commanding 17-2 record, several individual career records, program firsts, andmuch-deserved respect on the national stage.