Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 5/11/07 Section: Sports
Finally! W. Lax beats Terps 9-7 to advance to semifinals
Quakers reach first Final Four ever
Zach Klitzman
Not 13 minutes into the biggest game of their lives, against No. 5 seed Maryland on Sunday, rock-solid Penn goalkeeper Sarah Waxman and the rest of the No. 4 Quakers were shell-shocked.
"It hit me pretty hard," Waxman, a junior, said of the Terps' four quick goals. "At first I was like, 'Ah, oh my god.'"
But after a quick timeout by coach Karin Brower, the Quakers recovered, outscoring the Terrapins 3-1 in the remaining 17 minutes of the half.
And that was just the beginning of the rally.
Keyed by a five-nil run in the second half, the Quakers came back in dramatic fashion, pulling out a 9-7 victory at Franklin Field as they earned the program's first ever trip to the Final Four.
The Quakers (16-1) will now face top-seeded Northwestern on Friday at 6 pm with a berth to the national championship game on the line.
Although the Quakers' 11 points were spread among six players, one offensive player stood out. Sophomore Becca Edwards, the team's third leading scorer, only had an assist in the first half, but she lit up Maryland in the second, scoring both the go-ahead and the eventual game-winning goals.
Before the go-ahead goal, "I hadn't been shooting well," Edwards said. "So I knew it was time to step up and focus. I knew I had my girl beat, and just shot around her to screen the shot. It just went in and it was very exciting."
"I think we've had two big games where we've come from behind: Dartmouth and Syracuse," she said. "Our team knew we could settle down and play some good defense, and our shots would start falling."
In the Dartmouth game the Quakers were down 3-0 early, and in the Syracuse game they were down 7-2 with 20 minutes to go and did not take the lead until near the five minute mark.
For the Terrapins (16-4), the loss was its third in six games, a bad way to end what was otherwise a good season that saw them start off 13-1.
"I'm really proud; we have a great bunch of individuals," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. "I feel sorry the senior class has to go out this way… Unfortunately it ended today. It's tough, since it's sad it has to end."
"It hit me pretty hard," Waxman, a junior, said of the Terps' four quick goals. "At first I was like, 'Ah, oh my god.'"
But after a quick timeout by coach Karin Brower, the Quakers recovered, outscoring the Terrapins 3-1 in the remaining 17 minutes of the half.
And that was just the beginning of the rally.
Keyed by a five-nil run in the second half, the Quakers came back in dramatic fashion, pulling out a 9-7 victory at Franklin Field as they earned the program's first ever trip to the Final Four.
The Quakers (16-1) will now face top-seeded Northwestern on Friday at 6 pm with a berth to the national championship game on the line.
Although the Quakers' 11 points were spread among six players, one offensive player stood out. Sophomore Becca Edwards, the team's third leading scorer, only had an assist in the first half, but she lit up Maryland in the second, scoring both the go-ahead and the eventual game-winning goals.
Before the go-ahead goal, "I hadn't been shooting well," Edwards said. "So I knew it was time to step up and focus. I knew I had my girl beat, and just shot around her to screen the shot. It just went in and it was very exciting."
"I think we've had two big games where we've come from behind: Dartmouth and Syracuse," she said. "Our team knew we could settle down and play some good defense, and our shots would start falling."
In the Dartmouth game the Quakers were down 3-0 early, and in the Syracuse game they were down 7-2 with 20 minutes to go and did not take the lead until near the five minute mark.
For the Terrapins (16-4), the loss was its third in six games, a bad way to end what was otherwise a good season that saw them start off 13-1.
"I'm really proud; we have a great bunch of individuals," Maryland coach Cathy Reese said. "I feel sorry the senior class has to go out this way… Unfortunately it ended today. It's tough, since it's sad it has to end."
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