Frigid weather led to an even colder defeat as Penn women’s lacrosse fought against Yale (for over 70 minutes of play). In the fourth consecutive overtime, a last-minute goal by the Bulldogs led Yale to victory with a final score of 10-9.
This unfortunate loss mirrors a similar loss between the Quakers (6-5, 2-2 Ivy) and the Bulldogs (10-3, 3-2 Ivy) during last season's Ivy League Tournament Championships. In that contest, Yale made a comeback in the second half to defeat the Quakers 10-9 in overtime.
“I feel like last year we actually dominated Yale … and then let them come back,” coach Karin Corbett said. “I feel like this second half was much more back and forth than the one last year, and we were in the driver’s seat in the beginning and, credits to Yale, they kept fighting and not giving up.”
The first half began strongly with Quaker domination and the seniors showing why they deserved to be recognized in this game.
After Yale won the first faceoff but missed two shots above the net, senior midfielder Anna Brandt gave Penn early momentum as she scored a goal three minutes into the first quarter. Freshman goalkeeper Orly Sedransk kept the Bulldogs’ aggressive energy at bay after making two saves within minutes of each other, and Brandt capitalized on this defense with another goal seven minutes after her first. Senior attacker Erika Chung finished the quarter with a goal near the left post following an assist from senior attacker Keeley Block.
Penn’s offensive strength carried into the second quarter as Brandt sliced a shot to the back of the net only 40 seconds in, which extended the Quakers’ lead to 4-0. Yale’s first goal finally came from midfielder Fallon Vaughn, but Penn sophomore attacker Catherine Berkery quickly matched this goal minutes later. After another goal on each side, Penn went back to the locker room in high spirits as the scoreboard flashed a score of 6-2.
“I thought the first half was great,” Corbett said. “I think that we were producing a lot of the looks that we had hoped for, and our defense played great.”
The second half engendered a major comeback for the Bulldogs despite Penn’s defensive competence. The Quakers began with an incredible goal by freshman midfielder Caroline Marotta, her first goal in the last five games, but a crowd-rousing yellow card on senior defender Natasha Gorriaran closed Penn’s offensive run.
Yale scored four goals in the third quarter, but a goal by freshman midfielder Meryl Docking split these points. Notably, this marks Docking’s first goal of her Penn career.
The fourth quarter was the closest contest between the opposing teams. Following two more goals by the Bulldogs that tied the game at eight goals each, Block scored for Penn with an assist by Berkery. Yale midfielder Caroline Burt tied the game again one minute later, and Yale’s defensive spirit dictated the remainder of the quarter as Penn was able to make few shot attempts.
“In the second half, our defense continued to play really well. We had a couple mistakes on the crease, [Yale] had a lot of good stances, and I feel like we weren’t producing well on attack.” Corbett said.
Each quarter of overtime brought about more neck-and-neck aggression from the Quakers and Bulldogs, and the fourth sudden death period finally settled the score for Penn. After Block’s free position shot flew wide, the Bulldogs maintained possession as the clock winded down. A ground ball acquisition and shot by Yale attacker Jenna Collignon gave Yale their first and only lead, ultimately granting them a victory.
Due to this hard-fought loss, Penn now stands at fifth place among the Ancient Eight. Penn will try to climb out their two-game losing streak this Wednesday, April 16 against Princeton at Franklin Field.
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