W. Lax comes from behind to grab win against Harvard

It ain't over 'til it's over, the Penn women's lacrosse team taught Harvard on Saturday as the Quakers trounced the Crimson in a dramatic come-from-behind victory in Boston.

Trailing 5-2 at the half, Penn fired off nine unanswered goals in the second stanza to record its third consecutive win, 11-5.

Junior Lindsey Cassidy and freshman Emily Cochran led the Quakers in scoring, each recording a hat trick on the day.

The Crimson took an early lead, scoring two goals, as the Red and Blue failed to capitalize on their scoring opportunities.

"We weren't waiting for the passes, we were just looking for the first opportunity to score," senior midfielder Crissy Book said. "We weren't getting the ball moving for a better opportunity."

Halfway through the first stanza, Cassidy put the Quakers on the board off a pass from senior Alison Polk-Williams.

The Crimson then went on a 3-0 run. extending their lead to 5-1.

These, however, would be the final Harvard goals of the game.

"We were really flat in the first half of the game, and we should've come out a little harder," Book said. "But we've always been a second-half team. We just needed one or two goals to turn around the momentum."

Trailing 5-2 at halftime, the Quakers exploded in the opening minutes of the second half, as senior co-captain Whitney Horton found the back of the net.

Less than a minute later, Book took a feed from senior Kate Murray, firing it past Harvard goaltender Laura Mancini to bring Penn within one.

"At halftime, I put it up to the seniors, said we have four games left and asked them how they wanted to go out," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "It was really on their shoulders to step up, and they did."

With another assist from Polk-Williams, Cassidy notched her third goal of the game to bring the Quakers even.

Just one minute later, Polk-Williams converted a free position goal to give Penn the lead.

"Defensively, we were just talking better, getting more turnovers in midfield, not letting them bring the ball down the field," senior co-captain Christy Bennett said.

With momentum firmly on its side, Penn extended its lead. Cochran and Murray ensured that the Quakers hard earned lead would not be relinquished, scoring three and two goals respectively down the stretch.

"Our lead was never enough. We just kept going, thinking that we needed to put this away," Bennett said.

Senior goaltender Alaina Harper made four saves, and sophomore Liz Lorelli recorded two saves in goal on the day.

Taking over for Harper with 7:18 left on the clock, Lorelli only saw two shots on goal.

The Red and Blue will ride their three-game winning streak as they travel to State College, Pa., to take on Penn State tomorrow.

"Penn State is too good a team to be at a 5-1 deficit and battling back in the second half," Brower said. "Our goal is to play all 60 minutes, and if we play the best lacrosse that we can play, we can beat anybody."

The victory over the Crimson brings the Quakers' record to 5-7 overall, 2-2 in Ivy League action, while the Crimson fall to 1-8 overall, 0-3 Ivy.

"Nothing is a done deal. We haven't turned anything around yet," Bennett said. "We need to find the heart to win games that are maybe wins, not sure wins."

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