Now officially halfway through its Ivy League season, Penn (1-7-5, 0-2-2 Ivy) women's soccer achieved its second in-conference shutout after a 0-0 matchup against Brown (5-3-4, 2-1-1). Though no goals were scored, the Quakers led Brown in shots at 6-5.
Despite the absence of goals, coach Krissy Turner was especially proud of her team given its busy schedule of three back-to-back matches.
“I think our team really showed up and played some really good soccer in the last three matches,” Turner said. “They just keep fighting.”
Both teams hit the gas as soon as the opening whistle blew. Starting with the ball, Brown immediately charged down the field and fired off a shot within twenty seconds that was cleanly saved by Penn junior goalkeeper Annabel Austen. The Quakers quickly rebounded and took control of the ball, maintaining the majority of the possession for the first 15 minutes of the game.
The two teams had entirely opposing playing styles; Brown tended to invite in the pressure and rely on the counter, while Penn aimed to control the ball. With these two clashing techniques, the ball bounced around throughout the game, trying to find a home with either team.
Sophomore forward Abbey Cook was proud of the team’s efforts against a new playing style.
“I thought we played well against Brown; [they’re] a very non-possession-based team, so I think … we did pretty good not turning it into a kicking match and trying our best to keep possession,” Cook said.
For the entirety of the game, neither side let up on its determination to score, though the ball never made it into the net. Brown had several attempts to score as a result of corner kicks, but routinely kicked it over the net. On the other hand, when Penn drove up the field, progression seemed to stop in the box, the ball getting lost amongst several players.
Freshman forward Lily White was one of the Quakers’ standout players, leading the team in shots on goal with three attempts and two making it to the goalie. Brown forward Nadja Meite matched her performance, finishing the game with three shots on goal of her own.
Though Brown picked up pace towards the end of the first half, Penn’s offense was routinely quicker to grab the ball, forcing the Bears to rely on their defense. Penn junior forward Clare Robke and Brown forward Kira Maguire battled over the ball on numerous occasions, neither willing to give up the fight.
With roughly twenty minutes remaining in the first half, Cook ran onto the field in Penn’s second round of substitutes. As one of the season’s highest scorers thus far, she quickly established her presence on the field with a shot attempt. Cook uses her matches as an opportunity to learn, and yesterday was no different as she considered what to work on for the next game.
“I would say for next game, focusing on individually, getting more crosses in the box, or if I’m playing center, trying to generate more … shots on goal, more actual opportunities for the team,” Cook said.
The Quakers were unified in their mindset to attack the opposing goal with a dangerous ferocity with Penn freshman defender Eden Veenema leading the pack. The Pennsylvania native received a yellow card — the only one for the Red and Blue of the game — 33 minutes into the game. This was followed by White's scrappy play style also prompting several Brown supporters to call her out mid-game.
As the minutes ticked down in the first half, the Quakers and Bears grew frantic to score a goal. With eight minutes remaining, the box grew extremely busy as both Cook and Penn senior forward Isobel Glass tried for goals.
Penn senior defender Maya Leschly, who played the entire 90-minute game alongside five of her teammates, admitted that the game was slightly chaotic but aligned with Cook and Turner’s views that the team created great opportunities for potential goals.
“I think … it was a battle and a physical contest, and there was a lot of back and forth, but I think that we leaned into that and did the best we could and generated some really good chances,” Leschly said.
Though they had hoped to pull off a win against the Bears, who they hadn’t beaten since 2018, the Quakers were ultimately proud of their performance on Rhodes Field.
“To get a shutout today against a very strong team in the league, and a historical winner in the league … it continues to enforce that we are very much a stronger team than our record reflects,” Turner reflected.
The Red and Blue will return to the field on Saturday, Oct. 19 with an away game against Dartmouth.
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