The one-two punch of senior co-captain Sara Shelley and junior Lea Salese helped the Penn field hockey team knock off No. 14 Delaware, 2-1, Sunday afternoon in Newark, Del. Despite being heavily favored, the Blue Hens (5-4) looked like the underdog throughout the game.
The victory allowed the Quakers (5-3) to extend their four-game winning streak, during which they have only allowed two goals.
"We came out more ready than we usually are," Shelley said. "We were really connecting on passes well. [Delaware] didn't cross our 50 yard line for the first five-to-10 minutes.
"Our defense came up with a lot of saves against them. They actually had to call a timeout very early on because our defense was very good."
The teams seemed evenly matched, at least on paper. Penn and Delaware tied in penalty corners with nine each. The difference was that Penn was able to capitalize on its penalties, unlike in a few of its previous games.
The first goal of the game came at the 11:46 mark of the first half, as Penn senior Liz Lorelli deftly passed the ball to Shelley for her third goal of the year.
"Lorelli had a pass to me and I gave a hard push," Shelley said. "It was over the [goal] line. The defenders were just not ready for it."
A defensive struggle ensued following Shelley's goal, as both teams fought to score. Finally, Delaware was able to break through as Amanda Warrington scored with 57 seconds left in the half off of a penalty corner, sending the game into halftime tied 1-1.
However, the score would not remain tied for long after intermission.
"The second goal was a straight shot," Shelley said. "Lea Salese was able to come all the way around and score."
Shelley and Penn junior Cara Calahan assisted Salese on the play, after a penalty corner just 1:49 into the second half. The goal was all the Quakers needed. Their defense was very strong throughout the game, and helped close out the Blue Hens.
Penn sophomore goalkeeper Elizabeth Schlossberg had four saves in the cage, while her Delaware counterpart, Megan Allen, had six. The difference was Schlossberg only allowed one goal, to Allen's two.
This victory comes as sweet revenge for the Red and Blue, as they had been pounded by the Blue Hens, 4-1, last year in their season opener.
"We picked them up last year," Shelley said. "We lost to them, 4-1. They were definitely a strong team -- they actually beat Princeton; a lot of people were talking about that game."
PENN 1 1 -- 2Delaware 1 0 -- 1
Goals: 1. Shelley (P) 11:46 (Lorelli); 2. Warrington (D) 34:03 (Carr)
3. Salese (P) 36:49 (Shelley, Calahan)
Shots: PENN 9, Delaware 7
Shots on goal: PENN 7, Delaware 5
Penalty corner: PENN 9, Delaware 9
