Soft Pretzel Logic

At Penn, they know a few things about second-half collapses in games against Princeton. So as the Quakers women's lacrosse team watched a 13-7 lead get cut to 13-10 with 3:28 left tonight, I couldn't help wondering if a few of the Palestra's old ghosts had made their way over to Franklin Field for a few minutes. But a few things made this night different.

For one, it was a Wednesday, not a Tuesday as that famous February night in 1999 was. For another, whereas Matt Langel missed the shot that would have rendered meaningless the Tigers' comeback from 33-9 down at halftime to 50-49 up at the buzzer, Rachel Manson scored the insurance goal with 1:33 to play that helped Penn to a 14-10 win tonight.

That gave the Quakers at least a share of the Ivy League title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament whose Final Four they'll host at Franklin Field next month.

Not that Penn's Becca Edwards and Chrissy Muller, who were the key players in the win, were aware of the history in Penn-Princeton games outside of their sport. And not that Quakers coach Karin Brower necessarily was either, even though she used to be a Princeton assistant.

But when the players were asked what was going through their minds when Princeton cut the lead to three goals, they both said they were still totally confident they'd win. Brower took what you might call a nervous deep breath before laughing.

"I knew that if we kept composed, we'd be fine," she said.

If, of course. But they did.

This game was a battle between two Top 15 teams, which is something you don't see all that often in Philadelphia no matter the sport. Penn is No. 3 and Princeton is No. 15 in the latest women's lacrosse coaches' poll, with only defending champion Northwestern and perennial power Maryland above the Quakers.

Penn has beaten three ranked teams this season -- No. 18 Yale, No. 12 Johns Hopkins and No. 10 Penn State -- and its only loss all year is to the Wildcats in Evanston. And Princeton has always been a powerhouse team in lacrosse in both genders, which has made the series against Penn a lot more lopsided than the basketball rivalry has been over time.

"To beat a program such as Princeton that is so steeped in tradition is a reward in itself," Brower said. "This is a game that I've wanted to win for eight years, and you feel like if you beat Princeton, you can compete with anybody."

While I don't expect women's lacrosse to generate much interest, having the Final Four in town at least makes all this worth sticking in the back of your minds if you're a college sports fan in the region.

It's certainly understandable that the players have making it back to their home field right up there at the top of their list of goals for the season.

"That's been our motivation since the day we stepped on the field in the fall," said Muller, a native of Rydal, Pa. "This is where we want to be."

Oddly enough, if Penn got one of the top four seeds in the 16-team tournament, it would have to leave Franklin Field even though it would be the home team for all of its games. Because of Penn's graduation, the first-round game would be at Rhodes Field, the bandbox-sized soccer facility sandwiched between the South Street bridge, the Schuylkill Expressway and the Amtrak tracks. But the second-round game would be at Franklin Field, as would all the others Penn plays.

Believe me, I'm still well aware of perceptions that this blog is weighted towards Penn in how it covers the area's teams. But there was a reporter from the Daily News at the game tonight, and there were probably a couple thousand people in the stands, which is way more than usually turn up for spring sports around here no matter who's playing.

And what happened tonight could actually end up being a pretty big deal next month if Penn actually makes it to the Final Four.