The women’s soccer team kicked off its Ivy season with a big 4-3 victory over two-time defending champions Harvard Friday.
After a back-and-forth battle, the Quakers notched their first Ivy League win of the season. It was also Penn’s first Ivy victory in program history in which at least seven goals were scored.
“All we did all week was attacking, attacking, attacking and it looks like some of the lessons went into [the weekend],” coach Darren Ambrose said.
Penn carried its offensive momentum into Sunday’s matchup with Navy but was unable to clamp down defensively and eventually fell 3-2.
In Friday’s match, Harvard (3-4-1) got on the board 12 minutes in with a goal from three-time first-team All-Ivy selection Katherine Sheeleigh.
The Quakers (4-4-0) were quick to respond. Just over a minute later, junior Ursula Lopez-Palm scored her first goal of the season and put Penn on the board.
However, the score didn’t stay tied for long. In the 22nd minute, Sheeleigh knocked a well-placed ball to teammate Melanie Baskind to regain the lead for the Crimson.
“Dealing with those two forwards for 90 minutes — they’re two of the best forwards in the League, there’s no question, and they’re dangerous,” Ambrose said.
The teams continued to exchange goals in the first stanza, but the Quakers entered the locker room ahead 3-2 after sophomore Erin Beck scored from a 25-yard distance.
“At halftime, we told them we’re going to need another goal to win the game. Harvard is too good,” Ambrose recounted.
True to the coach’s prediction, Harvard struck early in the second half with a second goal from Baskind. But Penn responded with a second tally from Lopez-Palm, and the Quakers held on for the final twenty minutes to earn the win.
“Ursula told me before the game … ‘I’m gonna score tonight.’ … That kind of mentality goes a long way,” Ambrose said.
The high-scoring match was a welcome sign for the Penn offense as the Quakers had been shutout in all three of their prior losses.
“This week, we did a lot of preparation with our offense,” Lopez-Palm said, “because recently that’s been slowing us down a little bit, and we haven’t been getting as many goals as we wanted to.”
Despite their loss to Navy (6-5-1) on Sunday, the Quakers still flexed their offensive muscle, outshooting the Midshipmen 23-8. Freshman Kerry Scalora scored both Penn goals.
The strong attacking output this weekend marks a new chapter for the Quakers.
“If we don’t make any mistakes, we’re a difficult team to beat,” Ambrose said.
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