Penn women's soccer plays to scoreless draw vs. VCU

Sometimes practice doesn't quite make perfect

After its loss to William & Mary earlier this week, Penn women’s soccer spent this past week working on execution in front of the net and finishing off strong. Unfortunately, as the Quakers saw during their match against Virginia Commonwealth, their hard work didn’t pay off just yet.

The Quakers (2-1-2) ended with a scoreless draw against the Rams in a battle of the defenses. VCU, coming in the match with a two-game winning streak, entered the match with guns blazing, out shooting Penn, 11-4.

With senior captain midfielder Kaitlyn Moore back on the field after an injury, Penn received a boost to begin the game. In the seventh minute, freshman forward Natasha Davenport was open for a shot only to have it saved by the VCU goalkeeper. The rest of the game, including two overtimes, followed a similar theme

While the Red and Blue (2-1-2) continued to struggle offensively, the defensive lines stood strong during the first half, only letting three shots pass by to be saved by senior goalkeeper Katherine Myhre or to completely miss the net. 

The second half play was more choppy, with nine fouls called and just four shots taken. Junior goalkeeper Kalijah Terilli, who switched in at halftime, saved three of those shots. However, freshman star Natasha Davenport once again got open for a shot, only to have it brushed aside.

With all of the practice the offenders put in, they did not get much chance to turn it into fruition. VCU’s defense proved too strong for Penn to penetrate, especially during the first and second overtime periods in which Penn was unable to put the ball on net.

At the end of the second overtime, VCU's Jackie Ernest and Maren Johansen tried for the last-minute shots, but the Quakers were able to hold them off.

Penn will now go to Delaware to take on the Blue Hens on Sunday before returning home next weekend to face Harvard on Sept. 27 at Rhodes Field, opening up Ivy League play.

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