Senior attacker Paige Lipman looks to pass against Georgetown on March 26, 2023.
Credit: Anna VazhaeparambilOn an 80-degree day in New York, Penn women’s lacrosse brought even more heat to the Robert K. Kraft Field.
A dominant performance by the Quakers offense, ending with a final score of 18-7, allowed the team to extend its winning streak against the Lions to 26 on Saturday. Penn (5-3, 2-0 Ivy) has never lost to Columbia (3-7, 0-3) in program history, a statistic kept alive by the collective effort of Penn’s offense: senior attacker, Keeley Block, senior attacker Erika Chung, and sophomore attacker Regan O’Brien.
The game started off with Columbia eager to make an impact, as Columbia midfielder Anna Becker opened the scoring with just a couple of minutes of play underway, giving the Lions an early 1-0 lead. Becker continued to pace the Columbia offense early on when Columbia attacker Maddie Brogan found the back of the net minutes later, extending the lead to 2-0. Columbia, which was coming off a four-game losing streak — the latest being to Cornell last week — hoped to establish a quick offense in the opening minutes. Columbia goalkeeper Simone Koryszewski complemented the Lions’ offense by making key saves to keep the Quakers scoreless.
After an early timeout, Penn began to find its rhythm, and both teams fought in a battle of momentum as the Quakers played catch up. Chung, who received a preseason All-America honorable mention in January, gave the Quakers the first point of the game, notching a goal off of a fake-out pass, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Block, a top-10 scorer in the Ivy League and team captain, fired a shot to tie the game, marking a crucial moment for the Quakers. The shot was then followed by a goal from freshman midfielder Lela Greene, with just under two minutes of play left. The Lions closed out the first quarter tied 3-3 off of a penalty shot.
No. 15 Penn was the predicted winner over No. 85 Columbia before Saturday’s faceoff. The Lions currently sit at the bottom of Ivy League rankings and finished the same way last season after a conference shutout in the 2024. The Quakers finished No. 3 in the same season. The match against the Lions marks the Quakers’ second performance of conference play, coming off a tight loss against Florida.
The second quarter marked the beginning of Quakers control, with O’Brien bouncing in a shot to keep momentum. From there, Penn dominated in its offense with the help of Erika Chung, Penn’s leader in assists spreading the wealth among teammates. Senior midfielder Anna Brandt recovered a ground ball off of a faceoff and converted it to a goal, stretching the Quakers’ run for a 4-0 lead in the quarter. Brandt, one of the Ivy League’s top scorers — who once committed to West Point — has found her spot on the Quakers offense as one of the leading scorers, totaling over 60 goals last season.
From here on, the Lions struggled to respond as Penn defense pushed play to the perimeter. At the end of the half, the Quakers had a dominating 9-5 lead. Block opened up the second half with another goal, scoring her milestone 100th career point. Teammate Chung, freshman midfielder Sarah Kelley, and freshmen attacker Mae Zaremba added to the scoreboard, extending the lead, with the latter two Penn players making their first goals as Quakers.
Freshmen goalie Orly Sedransk came up with key saves through out the game for the Quakers, preventing Columbia from mounting a comeback. The New Jersey native stopped the Lions' after their initial 4-0 run, as Penn stretched its lead to 12-5.
The fourth quarter of the play showed a late push from Columbia, with two quick goals to cut the deficit to 12-7. However, Penn’s defensive unit held strong, closing out the game with disciplined play that secured yet another Ivy League victory with an 18-7 finish.
In the end, the generational apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Penn upheld its perfect record against Columbia, proving once again that history repeats itself in the Big Apple.
The Quakers will hope to continue their winning streak in a tight turnaround game on Monday, March 31 against the Maryland Terrapins at Franklin Field.
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