Quakers

Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller isn't quite ready to christen her women's lacrosse team a dynasty, but she said it's OK if anyone else wants to. Last night, the Wildcats extended their string of NCAA championships to four with a 10-6 win over Pennsylvania that avenged their only loss of the season before a title-game record announced crowd of 6,125 at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Only one other team has won more consecutive titles and more national championships overall - Maryland, which won seven between 1995 and 2001 and has 10 total national titles.

For the past month, Pennsylvania and Northwestern have been the top-ranked women's lacrosse teams in the country, so it only seems fitting that they should meet in tonight's national final. Three-time defending champion Northwestern reigned at No. 1 for most of the season until Penn ended its 36-game winning streak with an 11-7 win on April 27 in Philadelphia. The Quakers then replaced the Wildcats at No. 1. Still, the two are so closely matched that Northwestern (20-1) earned the top-seeded spot and Penn (17-1)

PHILADELPHIA -- Pennsylvania scored five unanswered goals to begin the second half and held on for a 9-7 win over Maryland yesterday in an NCAA tournament quarterfinal at Franklin Field. Penn (16-1) will play Northwestern in the semifinals Friday at Franklin Field. Maryland finished its season at 16-4. Terps junior Allie Buote made 10 saves, Lauren Cohen had two goals and an assist while Casey Magor added a pair of goals. Buote and the defense ignited the Terps' offense to a quick 4-0 lead to open the game.

NO. 5 SEED MARYLAND (16-3) @NO. 4 SEED PENN (15-1) Site: Franklin Field, Philadelphia Time: 1 p.m. Outlook: The Terps are aiming for their first trip to the final four since 2003. They wouldn't mind adding an 11th national championship to their trophy case, either. Standing in their way is this season's fastest-rising team. The Quakers are in the tournament for the first time in 23 years, and they have been ranked as high as No. 2. They swept the Ivy League and have won 12 straight games.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For No. 14 seed Pennsylvania, the Ivy League champion that has been to the NCAA tournament three of the past four years, but not won a game, there will always be that one moment in the second half with 13 minutes to play yesterday. Senior Ibrahim Jaaber, the Ivy League Player of the Year, hit a jumper to give Penn the lead and sudden dreams of upsetting No. 3 seed Texas A&M. The moment didn't hold, however, and the Aggies won as expected, 68-52. But the game certainly didn't play out as expected.

With youth, energy and three-point shooting as its calling cards, Navy was aiming to take down an established Ivy League power last night. But the visiting Pennsylvania Quakers, backed by a talented core of upperclassmen and a pedigree that includes six NCAA tournament trips in the past eight seasons, were not about to be derailed. Led by senior forwards Steve Danley and Mark Zoller and senior guard Ibrahim Jaaber, Penn took control of Navy early, weathered a brief three-point flurry by the Midshipmen before halftime, then cruised to a 79-58 victory before 2,185 at Alumni Hall.

At the old Quaker Burying Ground in Galesville, two English religious rebels who came to "convince" Marylanders to embrace the new Religious Society of Friends were conjured up by actors yesterday in a celebration of the 350th anniversary of the faith's founding in America. One was Elizabeth Harris, a traveling minister - unheard of for a woman back in 1656. The other, George Fox, was the founding father of the religious movement, which emphasizes an inner light, peace, equality, simplicity and silence in worship.

What it is -- A low-cal version of Quaker's traditional chewy granola bars. What we like about it --This 90-calorie bar does the 100-calorie snack trend one better. Though the taste is pretty standard granola fare, the bar makes an easy and nutri tious lunch box filler or on-the-go snack. The variety pack, with choices from chocolate chunk to oatmeal raisin, is sure to have some thing for everyone in the family. What it costs --$2.99 for a box of 10 bars Where to buy it --Local gro cery stores Per serving: --90 calories, 1 gram protein, 2 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 19 grams carbohy drates, 1 gram fiber, trace cholester ol, 80 milligrams sodium

The Preakness isn't Baltimore's only sports custom on the weekend before Memorial Day, as Johns Hopkins will play in the quarterfinals of the NCAA men's lacrosse tournament for the 34th time in 35 years. That rite of spring came courtesy of yesterday's 13-3 dismantling of Pennsylvania before 1,964 at Homewood Field, where goalie Jesse Schwartzman (10 saves) stifled the Quakers, nine Blue Jays scored and coach Dave Pietramala's team enjoyed its most efficient clearing game of an occasionally shaky season.

College park -- On a Senior Day when the most notable of 10 departing players became the school's all-time leading goal scorer, fourth-ranked Maryland enhanced its potential for a top-four seeding in the NCAA Division I tournament with a 12-4 mastery of No. 10 Pennsylvania yesterday at Byrd Stadium. The rout - Maryland's third straight against the Quakers - was punctuated by Joe Walters' 150th career goal late in the third quarter, topping the record set by Matt Hahn from 1995 to 1998.