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#12 Women's Lacrosse Hosts Vanderbilt Credit: Pat Goodridge , Pat Goodridge

Tory Bensen had been quiet all game for Penn women’s lacrosse.

One week after scoring six goals against Delaware, the Red and Blue star attack had only notched one score as the Quakers entered overtime in their matchup with Vanderbilt on Sunday. No better time for the senior to make her presence felt.

With only four seconds remaining in overtime, Bensen smashed home a goal past Commodores’ goalkeeper Maddie Kratz to give Penn its second straight win to open the 2015 campaign, 12-11. The Darien, Conn., native scored two goals on the day, the first of which tied the matchup for the No. 12 Quakers with 5:54 remaining in regulation before sealing the game before the buzzer in the extra period.

Sunday’s contest was a back-and-forth affair between two programs accustomed to close encounters with one another. This season is the third straight in which Penn (2-0) and Vanderbilt (3-2) have faced off, with the Quakers clinching all of them by a one-goal margin.

Junior midfield Nina Corcoran got the scoring underway with the first of her two goals less than four minutes into the game to give Penn an early lead. After the Commodores countered with a free position score, Corcoran added her third goal of the season to push the Quakers ahead once again.

From that point forward, it became a game of streaks for both squads. Consecutive goals from Vanderbilt sophomore Jill Doherty and junior Alexa Kunowsky put the Commodores ahead, 3-2.

Junior attack Catherine Dickinson was the game’s leading scorer, notching her first four goals of the season on a snowy day at Franklin Field. The first two scores came in a 24-second stretch midway through the first half, the second of which was assisted by Corcoran and gave the Red and Blue a 4-3 lead.

After junior Lely DeSimone extended Penn’s lead to 5-3, the squads traded goals before Vanderbilt added two straight scores to knot the game at six right after halftime. At that point, Dickinson scored her third goal of the game before junior Iris Williamson and sophomore Sarah Barcia added a goal apiece to give the Quakers their largest lead, 9-6.

The Commodores surged ahead with five goals of their own in an 11-minute period in which they limited Penn to one goal. Dickinson’s fourth goal of the game put Penn back ahead by two, 10-8, but Doherty, Kunowsky and junior attack Mallory Schonk combined for a trio of scores to gave Vanderbilt its last lead of the day.

Over the course of the subsequent seven minutes, both teams battled to the finish. After Bensen’s score with under six minutes to play tied the game, the Red and Blue managed one final push to grab the win.

However, Corcoran — who finished with two goals and four assists — saw her free position goal with 45 seconds left disallowed due to a stick penalty. Senior goalkeeper Lucy Ferguson — who recorded 10 saves on the day, seven of which came in the second half — stopped Schonk’s shot at the end of regulation to give Penn a chance for the win in overtime.

Bensen’s score completed the Red and Blue’s comeback after the Commodores spent the first period of overtime running down the clock. Ferguson and Penn’s stingy defense held off Vanderbilt one final time, giving the Quakers an opportunity to set up the veteran for her late goal.

Penn will next be in action on Tuesday when it travels to take on Rutgers.

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