Temple not so DeLucky

While the No. 3 Penn women’s lacrosse team has established a reputation for strong defensive play and a less prolific offense, senior Ali DeLuca is doing her part to make opponents fear the Quakers’ attack.

DeLuca lit up the scoreboard with six goals in Penn’s opener against Drexel and didn’t let up last night. In a 15-3 pounding of Temple Wednesday, she added another four — all coming in the first 23 minutes of the game.

“Opposing coaches think of Penn for our defense but we’ve been focusing on attack a lot,” DeLuca said. “We want to be able to work the ball around, take risks and be more of a threat.”

But DeLuca wasn’t the only major offensive presence for the Quakers (2-0).

Senior attack Courtney Lubbe demonstrated a strong eye for finding open cutters, racking up six assists while sophomore Erin Brennan dished out another four in her season debut, after she sat out against Drexel due to illness.

“We did a good job on winning draws and keeping balls on the offensive end,” coach Karin Brower Corbett said. “We took it to them right up front.”

The attack appears to be hitting its stride at just the right time, as the Quakers have a tough spring break schedule that could set the tone for the rest of their season.

Penn kicks off the break with a Saturday showdown against No. 4 North Carolina (5-0) in Chapel Hill, N.C., and finishes with a home match with conference-rival Harvard (1-0) the following Sunday.

In between, the Quakers will take on a Hofstra (2-1)team whose only loss this season came at the hands of No. 8 Notre Dame.

“It’s really important to come out and play a full sixty minutes, especially against teams that we are not used to playing,” said junior Giulia Giordano, who recorded a hat trick against Temple (1-2).

Against the Tar Heels, the Quakers will need a balanced effort in order to counter UNC’s speed and depth.

Although Penn recorded an 11-2 victory over the Tar Heels last year, UNC improved throughout the season and reached the final round of the NCAA tournament. This year’s team is picking up right where it left off, scoring 59 goals in the past three games.

“It’s a big game, no question; they are extremely fast,” Corbett said. “Although they graduated a great defender [Amber Falcone], they return their entire midfield and attack. There is a reason they are ranked where they are.”

While the contest with UNC will affect the Quakers’ national ranking, Penn must wait until the next weekend to make a statement in the Ivy League.

On March 13, the Quakers will take on a Crimson opponent that has made strides under the leadership of third-year coach Lisa Miller.

“With our first League game we definitely want to show the Ivy League that we are back and that we want to get back to the Final Four,” Giordano said. “Especially attack-wise, we definitely want to make a statement.”