April 16, 2008

by Justin Feil, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

PRINCETON, N.J. - Sarah Waxman lived up to a lot Wednesday.

The 2007 NCAA Division I Goalkeeper of the Year, Waxman is the cornerstone of a Penn defense that ranks tops in the country this year with just 6.45 goals allowed per game. And in Penn's student paper Wednesday, she predicted that the No. 6-ranked Quakers' chances of beating No. 2-ranked Princeton were 99 percent, handing some bulletin-board material to the Tigers, who at the time were the nation's lone unbeaten team this side of Northwestern.

At the time.

"You have to be confident for your team," said Waxman, who jokingly threw her No. 99 jersey into the prediction.

Penn held the Ivy League's top-scoring offense to one goal through the first 44 minutes to help forge a 9-5 win that clinched the Quakers' second straight Ivy League championship and automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

"It means 100 percent more," said Waxman, who made eight saves. "Everyone was saying last year was a fluke. We're the team people love to hate. I think it feels so good."

The win was Penn's first at Princeton since 1986 and second in a row over the Tigers after it had lost 18 of the previous 19 meetings. The Quakers have won nine straight games after a loss at Stanford to improve to 11-1 overall, 6-0 in the Ivy League. Princeton fell to 10-1, 4-1.

"Last year, when we finally beat them, you feel like your program has finally arrived," said Penn coach Karin Brower. "I think a lot of people thought we had a lucky year last year. For us to beat this team at No. 2, I think shows we're a solid team and we're here to stay."

The Quakers can wrap up the outright Ivy crown at home against Brown on Saturday. Waxman isn't looking to share anything, and won't if she delivers another performance like the one at Princeton.

"She played exceptionally well," Brower said. "She came up with some huge saves, two back-to-back saves on open-net chances. She was very composed with the ball and they started pressuring her hard, and she did a really nice job with it. I thought she was the MVP of the game."

Penn never trailed in the game. Rachel Manson scored her 101st career goal for the early lead, and after Princeton's Ashley Amo scored, the Quakers did not allow another score for another 29:43, by which time they were ahead, 8-1.

"My defense is great," Waxman said. "I totally believe that I have the best defense in the country. We work the best as a unit. When we're on, we're really on."

Wednesday was one of those nights. It wasn't a bad night for the offense either. Manson finished with three goals and helped push open a 3-1 halftime lead with two goals in the first 3:14 of the second half. Ali DeLuca had three goals and two assists for Penn. The unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season has nine points in two career games against Princeton.

"I think this was the first time our attack really clicked and was patient with the ball," DeLuca said. "It just fell for us. That's one of the strengths we've been working on, holding the ball and being patient and looking for good opportunities."

Penn has had to be more patient after losing honorable mention All-Ivy attack Becca Edwards for the season with a torn ACL.

Princeton likewise is without unanimous first-team All-Ivy and All-American midfielder Katie Lewis-Lamonica for the year with the same injury. It got worse for the Tigers six minutes into Wednesday's game, when they lost defender Marine Graham to an apparent knee injury.

Following Penn's Ivy finale, the Quakers will host three-time defending champion and currently top-ranked Northwestern.

"Bring it on," Waxman said. "I'm ready. It'll be an exciting game. It's a lot more exciting to play the best teams in the country."

Even more so to beat them.