Penn women's soccer honors seniors with win

For the last home match of the season, Penn women’s soccer played with a fighting and aggressive spirit in order to honor its seniors.

After defeating Lehigh earlier in the week, the Quakers (7-5-3, 2-3-1 Ivy) continued their winning streak with another Ivy victory against Brown, 2-0.

The first half was one of the best the Red and Blue has had so far this season. Penn dominated possession for most of the half due to the work the forwards and midfielders put in to keep the ball in the offensive zone.

The Quaker’s aggressive offense helped senior forward Clara Midgley score an early first half goal, her first of the season. Freshman forward Juliana Provini gave the assist after a Brown defender blocked Midgley’s initial shot.

Offensively, the Quakers were strong in keeping Brown goalie Mallory Yant on her feet, forcing the Bears’ (6-7-3, 1-3-2) defenders to be on the top of their game.

In the 40th minute, sophomore back Olivia Blaber tossed a throw-in to freshman forward Anna Estep, who fed senior midfielder Kaitlyn Moore. Moore got the shot inside the far post, putting the Quakers up by two.

But the Red and Blue’s offensive charge slowed down significantly in the second half.

Penn took only three shots to Brown’s seven attempts on goal.

This might have been due to the fact that Penn was up by two, or because the team still needs to work on staying strong in the second half. Moore believes it’s the latter.

“It’s always important to have the mentality that people are going to come hard in the second half, and Brown’s definitely going to want to come back after us,” she said. “We needed to be prepared and we took that for granted.”

However, later on in the half, the team picked it back up and kept it sharp.

“[Senior Night] gives us an extra bite and something to work for. But as every Ivy game, it’s always an intense game,” Midgley said. “You come out and compete and battle first and play soccer second. It’s good to do both.”

The Bears changed their strategy for the second half and fought with all they had. However, they were not able to convert any of their chances, thanks to junior goalkeeper Kalijah Terilli.

Even with the Red and Blue slowing down their momentum, Brown did not seem dangerous when it was on the ball.

“We blocked shots, we headed balls clear, we were pretty decisive and we were very opportunistic in the attacking part again,” coach Darren Ambrose said. “We haven’t been that way all year.”

The seniors on the team heavily influenced the win. They made sure that their last time on Penn’s field would end in victory.

“It feels amazing to come out with a win on senior night,” Midgley said. “Everybody played outstanding and had an extra bit to them.”

This win secured a winning season, and the Quakers celebrated with the alumni that returned for Homecoming, a happy moment in a season that has fallen short of lofty preseason expectations.

The Quakers will finish their season next Saturday against Princeton.

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