NEWTON, Mass. – The No. 13 University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse team is moving on to the next round of the NCAA Championship after defeating No. 21 UConn, 13-8, Friday afternoon at Newton Campus Lacrosse and Soccer Field in the first round.
 
Maria Themelis and Niki Miles both notched four goals to pace the offense, while the latter set the single-season program record. Kelly Van Hoesen made 10 saves between the pipes while Kaitlyn Cumiskey finished with a game-high three caused turnovers.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn advances to the second round for the first time since 2018, now owning a 10-6 all-time record in the first round.

*Miles had a five-point effort and became the single-season program leader in goals with her second goal of the day. She bypasses Julie Heller (1981) and Tory Bensen (2015) and sits alone at the top with 61 goals this season. Her five points also shifts her into the top five in a single season, sporting 76 for the season. She remains the only Quaker to score in every game this season. 

*Themelis has been on an offensive tear lately. Last game in the Ivy League Tournament final against Yale, she scored six goals to earn Most Outstanding Player. On Friday afternoon, she added five points on four goals and assist. 

*As a team, the Quakers' 13 goals on Friday has officially tied them for the single-season program record with 261. It matches the record set in 2018. 

*Anna Brandt and Julia Chai each added two goals in the game, while Paige Lipman wrapped up the scoring with a free-position finish. Brandt also led the team with a game-high four ground balls. 

*The Quakers commanded the draw, winning 16 of 24 led by sophomore Natasha Gorriaran with seven. 
 
How It Happened
Penn won the game's opening draw and scored the first goal of the game, as Maria Themelis took the ball herself and smashed it home to give the Quakers a 1-0 lead just 48 seconds into the contest.
 
Penn took a 2-0 lead after Themelis found the back of the net again for her second consecutive goal.
 
After winning their third consecutive draw with 12:09 left in the first quarter, the Quakers upped their run to 3-0 to begin the game, as Niki Miles found Anna Brandt in front of the goal for her first of the day.
 
UConn got on the board for the first time with 10:27 remaining after Lia Laprise intercepted a Kelly Van Hoesen pass and brought it back herself for the score. Some four minutes later, the Huskies cut the Penn lead to 3-2 on Kate Shaffer's free-position goal.
 
Laprise made it a 3-0 run in favor of UConn after scoring her second with 6:01 to play to tie the game at 3-3.
 
Themelis notched her hat trick on a gorgeous goal between three defenders, giving the Quakers a 4-3 lead to begin the second stanza.
 

2Q 13:40 | #13 Penn 4, #21 UConn 3

??????!!! Themelis is rolling... She has three of our four goals, and puts the Quakers back in front of the Huskies!#ILPL x #FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/HYubE4XuFA

— Penn Women's Lax (@PennWomensLax) May 12, 2023

 
Penn maintained a one-goal lead for just under seven minutes, but UConn knotted the game back up at 4-4 on the Morgan Carter goal with 6:31 to play.
 
Miles scored her first goal of the game, tying the program record for goals in a season at 58, to push the Quakers back into the lead at 5-4 with 5:33 to play in the half.
 
UConn tied the game up again with 4:11 to go in the half, but Miles answered back with a player-up goal to take a 6-5 lead. That goal marked Miles' 59th of the season, setting the new single-season program record.
 

Check out Niki's record-breaking goal!!#ILPL x #FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/6FDTgXMxhr

— Penn Women's Lax (@PennWomensLax) May 12, 2023

 
Penn entered the locker room at halftime with a one-goal advantage led by a first-half hat trick for Themelis and two goals for Miles. Kaitlyn Cumiskey led the defense with three caused turnovers, while goalie Kelly Van Hoesen made six saves.
 
Paige Lipman put Penn on the board first to start the second half, scoring on the free-position shot to take a 7-5 lead.
 
Following a goal for the Huskies, Themelis answered with her fourth of the game to up the Penn lead back to two at 8-6 with 9:01 on the clock in the third. Julia Chai became the Quakers' fifth different goal scorer on the day on her first, re-establishing Penn's first three-goal lead of the game at 9-6 since a 3-0 run to begin the contest.
 
Morgan Carter cut the Penn lead to two goals at 9-7 following her second goal of the quarter, fourth of the game with 4:36 to go in the third frame.
 
As the third quarter started to wind down, Chai found the back of the net again for her second goal of the afternoon, putting the Quakers back in front by three, 10-7 with just over two minutes remaining. Miles made it a four-goal cushion on her third of the game with 1:40 to go. She beat the third-quarter buzzer with just three seconds remaining to score her fourth and give Penn a 12-7 lead heading into the final stanza.
 
With UConn on the player up and Penn in front by five goals, Van Hoesen made a key stop on a free-position chance with 12:18 to go to get the Quakers back to even strength.
 
Brandt scored a dagger with 1:15 to play, as Penn took a 13-7 lead late in the fourth. UConn scored with just 17 seconds left on the clock, but it was too little, too late as the Quakers held on for the 13-8 final.
 
Up Next
Penn will take on host and third-seeded Boston College Sunday at 1 p.m. with a trip to its first quarterfinal appearance since 2016 on the line. The matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.