Big Ten foe not a challenge for No. 12 Penn women's lacrosse in 10-goal romp

With three away wins under their belt, the Quakers are ready to come home. 

Penn women’s lacrosse finished off its away game sweep with a hefty 15-5 victory over Rutgers Wednesday night. Duking it out in Piscataway, N.J., the No. 12 Quakers (3-0) outlasted the Scarlet Knights (3-2) with strong defensive play and draw controls.

While only two Rutgers attackers scored in the game, seven of Penn’s players recorded goals, with four having multi-goal games.

“One of our biggest goals going into this game was having everyone contributing and everyone wanting to go to goal; everyone be a threat,” said junior attacker Gabby Rosenzweig, who enjoyed an impressive four-score game.

From the first draw, it seemed as though the contest would end up being a defensive, low-scoring game with little action. Penn struggled to find a clean shot early on due to the skillful stops of Rutgers goalie Kameron Halsall, the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, and it took five minutes of play until the first goal of the game was recorded. 

“In the beginning, we were adjusting to the shots. The goalie was a lefty. We had a little bit of trouble with that because we’re used to shooting on a righty," Rosenzweig said. “We just had to relax.”

Thanks to the consistently smooth upfield transition to the attack zone by Penn’s midfielders, the Quakers suddenly fired back with three goals. The Red and Blue quickly found their rhythm, wrapping up the half with a robust 6-2 lead.

Penn returned from halftime to kick the game into third gear and scored nine consecutive goals, handing Rutgers a devastating 30-minute drought that sealed the Scarlet Knights’ fate. Draw control was major contributor to the multiple streaks that followed, as Penn had 14 of the 22 ball controls in the game. This domination, paired with Penn’s tight double-teaming defense, left Rutgers with no time on the shot clock and no solid set up for the rest of the game.

By the end of the second half, the Rutgers defense was worn out and the team conceded its sixth consecutive defeat to Penn. The Quakers believe they have emerged more prepared than ever for the competition ahead.

“It’s an opportunity for us to grow,” Rosenzweig said. “We’re more ready now after this game, after [Johns] Hopkins, because we know what we can do and we know how good we can be.”

The Quakers will return to familiar territory for their next three games. Nevertheless, with their first Ivy League game against Yale only three days away, the Red and Blue will see if their road wins have prepared them for defending home turf.