PHILADELPHIA – For the 18th time,
Karin Corbett prepares a University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse team for a season as No. 11 Penn opens 2017 at Delaware on Saturday at noon.
The Quakers are coming off a 2016 season which saw the Red and Blue win their ninth Ivy League championship in the past 10 years and play in the NCAA Tournament for the tenth consecutive season. Penn won two games in the national tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals and setting a school-record for games played in a season (20) along the way.
Penn is ranked No. 11 in both the IWLCA Coaches Poll and the Cascade Media Poll entering the season, the highest-ranked of any Ivy League program.
Notes To Know
• Penn returns seven starters from last year's team, including three All-Ivy selections.
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Alex Condon, a third-team All-American and first-team All-Ivy selection in 2016, returns after a breakout 2016 campaign which saw her score 41 goals – the sixth-best single-season output in program history.
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Megan Kelly, a second-team All-Region and second-team All-Ivy selection in 2016, will lead the defensive unit which was No. 17 in the nation last year in scoring defense (7.9 goals allowed-per-game).
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Britt Brown, an honorable mention All-Ivy selection in her first season in goal for Penn, is back between the pipes. Her 7.17 GAA last season was No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 9 among all Division I goalkeepers.
• Condon, Kelly and sophomore defender
Katy Junior were all named preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse magazine.
• Penn's offense will be a new-look attack this season as the Quakers graduated 53% of their goals from 2016.
Nina Corcoran, 2016 Ivy League Attacker of the Year, has graduated following a season which saw her rewrite the Penn record books with 85 points and 58 assists – both single season records. Also graduated are
Iris Williamson (37 goals),
Catherine Dickinson (29 goals) and
Lely DeSimone (16 goals).
• Cummings came on of late in the final stretch of 2016, scoring 12 of her 21 goals over the final six games of the season – including eight in the NCAA Tournament.
• Penn is 8-1 all-time against Delaware, with wins in the last four meetings.
• Penn is 3-1 all-time at Delaware.
• Last season, Penn had a five-goal lead late in the season opener at Franklin Field, holding off a Blue Hens rally in a 12-10 win.
Britt Brown had nine saves in her first game with the Quakers, and
Nina Corcoran had six points.
About the Blue Hens
• Delaware opened its 2017 season with a 10-9 win over Georgetown on February 11.
• Becky Gohsler had six goals in the game, including the game-winner with 4:31 to play. Kristen Hale had three goals for the Blue Hens.
• Goalkeeper Taylor Carpentier had just three saves, but caused four turnovers.
• Delaware was 11-6 last year overall and 3-3 in the CAA. Five starters from that team return for 2017.
#FightOnPenn
