Women's soccer remains winless on road, falling to Brown 1-0

After an early goal by the Bears, the Quakers were unable to find their momentum and suffered their third Ivy League loss of the season. 

On Saturday, Oct. 30, Penn women’s soccer lost their match against Brown by a score of 1-0, giving Brown (11-3, 6-0 Ivy) the 2021 Ivy League title. With 375 people in attendance, this was one of the Quakers' (9-4-2, 3-3) more packed games of the season.

Although the Red and Blue didn’t know it at the time, the first goal of the game would end up being the last. In the eighth minute of the match, the Bears made a deep pass from the defensive half. The Bears' offense then picked up the ball and sent it swiftly gliding past sophomore goalkeeper Laurence Gladu.

The Quakers tried to even up the score for the rest of the period, but the Bears kept the Red and Blue busy on defense. Sophomore Ginger Fontenot attempted a shot on goal, but it sailed well above the posts. In the first half, Penn attempted just this one shot compared to ten by Brown and one corner kick compared to Brown’s two.

While Penn wasn’t able to make progress on the offensive side, it was the Red and Blue’s defense that stole the show. Gladu successfully deflected two straight shots from the Bears at the Quakers' goal.

When the game transitioned to the second half, there was a clear sense that the Quakers felt that they were running out of time. They picked up their pace, playing the ball more on the Bears’ half of the field than they did in the first half. Senior Mia Shenk attempted the Quakers’ second clear shot of the game. However, she was ultimately unable to clinch the goal needed to even out the score.

While the game was a disappointment for the Quakers, they remain undefeated on Rhodes Field and will be fighting to keep that record strong next weekend in their last game of the season against Princeton (13-2-1, 5-1).