BALTIMORE — A trip down to Charm City usually includes three things: blue crabs, the Orioles, and the Ravens. Scratch that, make it four things. As lacrosse is one of the official Maryland state sports, you can always bet on being able to witness an exciting lacrosse match.
That stood true Saturday evening in a back-and-forth matchup between two top-15 sides where No. 12 Penn women’s lacrosse ultimately couldn’t keep up with No. 10 Johns Hopkins as it fell in overtime 15-14.
“You have to give [Johns] Hopkins a lot of credit,” coach Karin Corbett said. “They came out here with a ton of pressure, and we really struggled at clearing the ball.”
This wasn’t the first time a game between the two teams came down to the wire. Since their first meeting in 2001, Penn (1-1) and Johns Hopkins (2-2) have become regulars on each other’s schedules. Last year, the Quakers were able to hold off the Blue Jays for a one-point win. In 2023, the Red and Blue found themselves on the other side of a thrilling overtime victory.
“It’s always been a great game between us,” Corbett had said about playing Johns Hopkins after the team’s game at Drexel. “So we have a lot to work on from this [Drexel] game, so I’m glad we have a whole week to prepare.”
The preparation on the defensive end showed in the first quarter. While the Quakers struggled with moving the ball offensively, they were able to stay in the game as the Blue Jays couldn’t seem to break through Penn’s man-to-man defense. But after Johns Hopkins mixed things up to start the second quarter, the Red and Blue weren’t quite able to adjust.
This isn’t surprising. The Quakers entered the game with two fewer games played compared to the Blue Jays. They also came in with a relatively inexperienced defensive unit following the loss of major pieces from last year’s team, including two-time unanimous Ivy League Defender of the Year Izzy Rohr.
After entering the second period with the score tied up at two apiece, the Quakers found themselves in a three-goal hole going into the locker room at halftime. The Blue Jays wasted no time coming out of the break to widen their lead to four.
With their backs pressed against the wall, the Quakers turned to their veteran presence on the offensive end of the field.
Despite having a knee injury that sidelined her for large chunks of the game, when senior midfielder Anna Brandt was on the field, she was not missing. Brandt finished the night with seven goals, bringing her within one goal of tying the program record for goals scored all-time.
“She’s a great player, she’s a competitor, and she can finish,” Corbett said. “She’s just been a solid player for us for the last four years. … I think she’s one of the best middies in the country.”
Brandt’s last goal of the game came in the dying minute of regulation, with the Red and Blue down one. With 46.5 seconds left on the clock, after a pass from senior attacker Erika Chung just missed senior attacker Keeley Block’s stick, Brandt picked up the ground ball and was somehow able to find the back of the net.
Even with Brandt’s heroics, the team wouldn’t have made it to overtime without the emergence of freshman goalkeeper Orly Sedransk in her first-ever college start. After splitting time in the cage with junior goalkeeper Caitlin Noack in the season-opener, Sedransk got the nod for the starting position against Johns Hopkins.
“[Sedransk] played better this week,” Corbett said. “We’re gonna see how it goes each week to week. But she had a stronger week, and she played amazing.”
Sedransk was active from the opening draw, venturing out of her crease to intercept passes and become more active in the clears. Some of those risks turned into rookie mistakes, but she more than made up for them. With the score tied up and less than 30 seconds on the clock, Johns Hopkins had a chance to win the game outright. Sedransk made the point-blank save to keep the two teams in a deadlock. Sedransk finished the game with a career-high 13 saves.
“I was really proud of my freshman goalkeeper today,” Corbett said. “She had some amazing saves, and it’s hard to do that in such a big game as a freshman.”
In overtime, the Red and Blue had a chance to win when Block was given a free position opportunity. Unfortunately, her shot sailed wide, and Blue Jays attacker Ashley Mackin was less forgiving on the other end as she put away her 82nd career goal to give the home team the win.
“We’re going to build up off this, you know,” Corbett said. “There’s so many great things from this game and there are things that we didn’t do well. … But again, with the heart that they had, it’s awesome [to see].”
Penn women’s lacrosse returns home on Feb. 26 to host cross-city opponents Temple at Penn Park, with draw slated for 5 p.m.
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