Penn women's soccer drops first game against Yale since 2009

Some days, things just don’t go right.

After defeating Delaware State in its last nonconference game of the season by a score of 2-0, Penn women’s soccer returned to Rhodes Field hoping to extend its winning streak against Yale.

However, the Quakers were not able to keep their momentum going, and despite a strong performance, the offense failed to capitalize on its chances, allowing the Bulldogs to come out on top by a score of 1-0 for the first time in 10 years.

The Red and Blue (8-5-1, 2-3 Ivy) started the match off strong, constantly looking for space between Yale’s defensive line. In the first 15 minutes, freshman midfielder Sizzy Lawton once again proved how crucial she has already become to the team, with two key passes to senior forward Emily Sands. On the first, Sands’ shot was quickly blocked by the defense, while on the second opportunity, the forward was unable to reach the ball.

In spite of the scoreboard, which showed the Red and Blue outshooting the Bulldogs (11-3, 4-1) by a 5-1 margin, both teams were evenly matched from then on, and the first half went by without any dangerous opportunities. The game was scoreless at halftime, which has been a bad sign for the Quakers this season: Penn has lost three times and has yet to win a contest in which they were tied after the first 45 minutes.

The Quakers’ dominance ran out in the second period. In the second minute, Bulldogs’ Ellery Winkler left two defenders behind and came face-to-face with senior goalkeeper Kitty Qu, who was quick off her line and managed an impressive save.

The Red and Blue tried to respond with successive shots, but they were ultimately unable to give the Yale goalkeeper a hard time, thanks to some well-positioned defense. In the 73rd minute, however, the Bulldogs were able to score, as forward Aerial Chavarin dribbled past two Quakers defenders in the penalty box and found Emily Yin, who one-timed the pass into the top corner of the net, not giving Qu any chance for a save.

Over the remaining 17 minutes, Penn pushed onward in an attempt to score the equalizer. Nonetheless, the Quakers could not find the net, leaving the Red and Blue in fifth place in the Ivy League standings with only two games left. 

The Red and Blue will look to rebound against Brown, as they travel to Providence, R.I. next Saturday. The Bears (12-1-1, 5-0) currently sit at the top of the Ancient Eight with an undefeated run in the Ivy League and only one loss this year. Therefore, the Quakers will need to take advantage of every chance and have a near-perfect match to successfully come back with a win.