Cassidy leads W. Lax in upset over No. 11 PSU

The Penn women's lacrosse team taught Penn State a valuable lesson yesterday afternoon -- never underestimate an unranked opponent.

The Quakers defeated the No. 11 Nittany Lions, 13-9, in a stunning upset at Bigler Field in State College, Pa.

Junior Lindsey Cassidy scored a career-high seven goals to lead the onslaught against the Nittany Lions.

Senior Kate Murray notched a hat trick, Katie Spofford had two goals, and Emily Cochran recorded one more to round out the team effort.

"We are ecstatic," Cassidy said. "We were waiting for a big game like this to come along to show everyone what we have and what a respectable team we are."

The Quakers grabbed the lead from the opening whistle, as Murray scored just two minutes in. Penn never looked back.

Going into the game, the Quakers knew that they could not let the Nittany Lions run away with the lead because it would be very tough to regain momentum.

"I am so proud of the team. They finally played for all 60 minutes, played the entire game," Brower said. "It's what I've been preaching all this time -- to take it from the first draw."

Penn led the Nittany Lions throughout the game, but Penn State made several runs ensuring the game remained tight.

The Penn defense held the Nittany Lions scoreless for well over 20 minutes before Penn State's Colleen O'Hara cut the Quakers' lead in half.

Cassidy answered just moments later, notching her first goal of the game to give the Quakers a 3-1 lead going into halftime.

The teams traded goals to open the second stanza, with Cassidy scoring two goals in three minutes to bring the Quakers up, 5-3.

This was as close at the Lions would get. Penn scored three goals in less than 90 seconds on a barrage of shots to give the Quakers their largest lead of the game.

Penn State came within two goals of tying the Quakers with 10 minutes remaining, scoring three consecutive goals.

However, Cassidy and Spofford each found the back of the net to secure the Penn win.

"It wasn't that I scored seven goals tonight. The team scored 13 goals tonight, and I can truly say that it was a team effort," Cassidy said. "We caught them by surprise and just kept the momentum on our side the whole game."

A last-minute effort by the Lions added two more goals, but it was not enough to overtake the Quakers' commanding lead.

"We never gave up and just kept answering back and not letting them get a streak going," co-captain Christy Bennett said. "We just played a complete game, and we were solid on attack, on defense, and on midfield."

Although the Lions edged the Quakers in shots, midfield turnovers were central to the Penn defensive effort.

The win brings the Quakers within two games of recording a .500 record, as they improve to 6-7, 2-2 in Ivy League action.

The Quakers hope to ride this momentum into the weekend when they face Dartmouth, the only opponent undefeated in Ancient Eight competition.

"I wish we could get some games back now, play some more first halves over again," Brower said. "But I just hope the girls will remember this feeling and take it with them for the last games in the season. It feels so nice."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.