May 25, 2007
SEE ALSO: Champs Put 'D' in Overdrive
by Andrew Scurria, Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
PHILADELPHIA - Penn goalie Sarah Waxman finally had control, it seemed.
She shoveled a pass to teammate Hilary Renna, but then watched helplessly as the sophomore defender couldn't handle it.
Consider the ball dropped.
When Renna lost it out of bounds with Northwestern already leading 7-0 in the teams' NCAA Division I women's lacrosse tournament semifinal at Penn's own Franklin Field, the Quakers' chance at playing in the national title game went along with it.
The Wildcats' Aly Josephs scored in transition moments later, giving top-seeded Northwestern an 8-0 halftime lead over No. 4 Penn, and the Wildcats never looked back, dropping the Quakers, 12-2, to advance to their third consecutive NCAA championship game.
Penn managed just two shots on goal in the first half and nine in the game, and did not score until almost 14 minutes into the second half. The Quakers (16-2) became the first team since 1991 to go scoreless in a half in a final four game, and their drought was the longest in NCAA tournament history.
Penn lost despite causing 15 turnovers and splitting the draw-control battle at 16 apiece.
But the ball remained in Penn territory for most of the first half, and the stage was set for the Wildcats to draw first blood. After they did - Aly Josephs scored a point-blank free-position goal five minutes in - the floodgates swung open, and the scoring came fast and furious after that.
Northwestern excelled on isolation plays, scoring nine straight unassisted goals before taking advantage of some nifty passing by Meredith Frank for its 10th goal.
Wildcats coach Kelly Amonte Hiller wasn't expecting that many unassisted goals, but at this point in the postseason - a familiar one for the two-time defending national champs - she'll take them.
"We wanted to go into this game a little more controlled," said Hiller, whose team will meet the winner of a 9 p.m. semifinal between Duke and Virginia in the championship game Sunday. "We were getting quality opportunities."
The troubles for Penn started in goal, where the usually-rock-solid Waxman struggled to regain the form she showed in a first-round victory over Boston University and semifinal stifling of Maryland. Waxman was replaced by rookie Emily Szelest midway through the second half.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats' trapping defense spread out Penn's attackers and took away the short, crisp passing that had helped the Quakers reel off 13 straight wins.
"They put their high-pressure defense on, and we just couldn't hold onto the ball," Penn head coach Karin Brower said. "They definitely deserved to win today."
Penn had a high-pressure defense of its own, but the Wildcats found ways through it. Once Renna, the Quakers' lock-down defender, matched up with Northwestern's Hannah Nielsen - who Brower called the team's "quarterback" - the Wildcats went to Josephs. She finished with an eye-popping five goals, and leading scorer Kristen Kjellman still managed a hat trick, becoming the all-time tournament scoring leader in the process.
The Quakers had been clamoring for this matchup ever since Northwestern whipped them 13-4 on March 9, Penn's only loss of the regular season. After the way the Wildcats played, though, Penn must have been longing for an ACC opponent.
"I think we beat ourselves today," senior Karen Jann said. "I think if we had finished a lot more shots, it would have been a totally different game...if we hadn't been down by so much in the first half."
The Quakers can take solace in a season that saw them make the NCAAs for the first time in over two decades.
Northwestern, meanwhile, appears primed for a three-peat.
"Don't think about the game today," Penn senior co-captain Chrissy Muller said. "Think about everything we've done.
"It's just the next step."
