NEWTON, Mass. - The No. 13 University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse team is ready to continue its NCAA Championship run on Sunday, taking on host and third-seeded Boston College in the second round. Start time is set for 1 p.m.
 
GAME 19: PENN (14-4, 7-0 Ivy League) at BOSTON COLLEGE (16-3, 8-1 ACC)
Sunday, May 14 | 1:00 p.m.
Newton, Mass. | Newton Campus Lacrosse & Soccer Field
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats | History
 
THE SERIES
•This is the third matchup between Penn and Boston College in program history. The series is split 1-1.
 
•The Quakers won the last matchup in 2004 in Boston, 11-2.
 
•The first game between the programs took place in 1990 at Franklin Field with the Eagles taking a slim 14-11 decision.
 
PENN IN THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
•The Quakers are making their 16th appearance in the NCAA Championship in program history.
 
•It is the first appearance since 2019.
 
•Penn is 4-5 in second-round games in the NCAA Championship.
 
•Of the 15 appearances, the Quakers have made Championship Weekend three times, including a trip to the national title game in 2008.
 
•The three trips to the final weekend came in three straight years, 2007-09, all of which were under head coach Karin Corbett.
 
•If Penn wins on Sunday, it'll be its first trip to the national quarterfinals since 2016.
 
PENN'S LAST TIME OUT
The Quakers opened the NCAA Championship on Friday afternoon in Newton, tackling No. 21 UConn, 13-8, behind Maria Themelis and Niki Miles with five points each and Kelly Van Hoesen's 10 saves. Penn jumped out to an early 3-0 lead over the Huskies but was answered before the end of the quarter with three to tie it up. A back-and-forth battle kept the game within one for either team until the Quakers came out with a 6-2 third frame to put the game away. Penn built up its largest lead in the fourth when Anna Brandt made it 13-7, sending the Quakers to the second round for the first time since 2018.
 
SEASON OF RECORDS
The Quakers have put on a show this season, and it is shown in the program record book. With 14 wins, they currently sit in sixth all-time in victories. Although reaching the record of 17 games is still achievable, the next record to be hit is goals in a season. With 13 goals in the first round on Friday, the Quakers tied the program record of 261 goals set in 2018. The first goal on Sunday will set the new bar.
They are on a record pace, averaging 14.50 per game, a mark that is the best in program history.
 
MILES OF GREATNESS
Senior Niki Miles has quickly shot onto the scene this season offensively, leading the Ivy League with 76 points and 61 goals. To say she is leaving a mark this season in the program is an understatement. On Friday, her second goal of four for the game set the program single-season scoring record with 59, topping Julie Heller (1981) and Tory Bensen (2015). Her 76 points also places her fifth all time, needing just four more to be just the fifth player ever to register at least 80 points in a season. In comparison, she has more than doubled her point total from 2022 (34), as she sits with 116 points for her three-year career (38 games).
 
Her season has come with a lot of recognition, and hopefully expecting more. She was named the unanimous Ivy League Attacker of the Year as well as unanimous first team. After an eight-point two-game performance in the Ivy League Tournament, she added All-Tournament to her resume before being named Honorable Mention All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine and first-team All-Region by IWLCA.
 
CONSISTENCY FOR BRANDT
Sophomore Anna Brandt has been a catalyst for the Quakers the past two seasons in the midfield. Although 2022 was a year Penn wasn't used to, going under .500 for the first time since 2003, Brandt was a bright light for the future of the program with a team-leading 24 goals as a freshman. It was enough to earn her second-team nods in the Ivy League. In 2023, that light shined brighter. She ranks only behind Miles in scoring and points with 51 and 55, respectively. She also leads the team in draw controls with 57. Her 51 goals place her third in program history in a single season, while her 57 draws are fifth.
 
Like Miles, she has been decorated with awards to go along with her stellar season. She was named Ivy League Midfielder of the Year, a unanimous first-team All-Ivy honoree, Ivy All-Tournament, and most recently second-team All-Region.
 
FEAR THE ROHR
Penn has been one of the best scoring defenses throughout the season, holding opponents to 10.11 goals per game. Much of that success can be credited to the senior leadership of Izzy Rohr on the backline. After missing two seasons due to injury, she has bounced back in a big way in 2023, leading the Ivy League in caused turnovers (25) while adding 35 ground balls, second most on the team behind Sophie Davis (38).
 
Rohr cleaned up awards for her efforts, being selected the unanimous Ivy League Defender of the Year, unanimous first-team All-Ivy, All-Tournament, Honorable Mention All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine, and second-team All-Region by IWLCA.
 
COMMANDING THE OFFENSE
Sophomore Erika Chung, who only played in six game last season, has taken full control over the offense for the Quakers in 2023. Starting in all 18 games, she leads the Ivy League with 38 assists to go with 53 points, third most on the team. She currently ranks fourth in program history for a single season with her 38 helpers, needing two more to break into the top three. She was also named to second-team All-Ivy, the first of her career.
 
REMEMBER THE NAME: MARIA THEMELIS
Junior Maria Themelis has not started any of the 18 games this season, but she won't be overlooked on the offensive end of the ball. The first one to touch the field out of the box, she has scored in the last 16 games for the Quakers, including turning it on in the Ivy League Tournament last weekend. She fired off a career- and game-high six goals in the title game on Sunday against Yale, leading the Quakers to an overtime victory and the program's fourth tournament title since the inaugural tournament in 2010. Her efforts earned her the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and All-Tournament, adding to her second-team All-Ivy nod. She didn't slow down on Friday, tying with Miles for a game-high five points on four goals and an assist. She is fourth on the team in points (47) and third in scoring (40).
 
ALL-TIME WINS LEADER
Coach Karin Corbett continues to prove she is one of the best coaches in the game in her 24th season with the Quakers. She can be credited for 254 of the program's 407 wins, eclipsing the 250 mark at Brown a few weeks back. A typical national powerhouse, the 2022 season was a down year, going 6-9. Corbett and her coaching staff flipped the script in 2023, entering the weekend at 13-4 and a perfect 7-0 tally in Ivy play. She has gotten the Quakers back to the NCAA Championship for the 16th time in program history, a squad she has taken there 14 of those trips.
 
STACKING THE SCHEDULE
Like every other year, Penn puts together a tough non-conference schedule to prepare for an always tough Ivy slate. This year, the Quakers sport the 15th hardest schedule in terms of RPI. Through the regular season, they played eight nationally ranked opponents: #16 Johns Hopkins, #8 Loyola, #22 Jacksonville, #10 Maryland, #8 Florida, #13 Yale, #24 Princeton, and #21 UConn. Sunday's matchup will make nine, taking on #2 Boston College.