For 100 minutes on Sunday afternoon, freshman goalkeeper Amanda Jacobs was exceptional.
Problem was, Syracuse goalie Audrey Latsko was near-perfect.
The star-crossed Quakers went the distance with a highly touted Syracuse team, but couldn't find a way to solve their brilliant All-Big East keeper. The Red and Blue took a 1-1 game through two extra frames before falling, 3-0, in penalty strokes.
Only a penalty stroke goal by junior Emily Farnesi prevented Latsko from recording her seventh shutout of season.
Latsko's only miscue came in the second half, when the ball became lodged underneath her leg and the referee signaled for a penalty stroke. Junior Emily Farnesi capitalized on the opportunity -- but Latsko wouldn't falter again.
Syracuse opened the scoring in the first half, as junior Jackie Scheaffer dove to poke a loose ball into the open net.
The Orangemen looked to assert control in the second half, but the freshman Jacobs weathered the storm. Both teams had several chances on offense, but Farnesi's equalizer at the 23:55 mark proved the last of the day.
After two seven-on-seven overtimes of scoreless ball, the teams went to best-of-five penalty strokes. Penn won the toss and elected to defend first.
Scheaffer went first for the Orangemen, beating Jacobs wide. Following senior Brandi Alexander's miss, Michelle Marks doubled the Syracuse advantage.
Latsko then delivered once again, batting away a Liz Lorelli attempt to secure a commanding 2-0 lead.
With the game effectively on the line, Kristin Aronowicz beat Jacobs. The subsequent Farnesi miss clinched the victory for the exhausted Orangemen.
Penn is no stranger to heartbreak. Wednesday night, the Quakers had two goals disallowed in a 1-0 loss to Temple. It was their fourth consecutive one-goal loss.
In the wake of another frustrating defeat, Farnesi was able to draw some positives.
"Everybody is still pretty optimistic," Farnesi said. "Syracuse has a great team, and for us to come in and play this well against them is a good sign. Everybody's just kind of anxious for the next two games."
Penn returns to action today with a bout against La Salle (3-9, 0-1 Atlantic 10). The Explorers are coming off a surprising 1-0 win against conference rival Temple.
Freshman Emily Simone's lone goal against the Owls was enough garner her Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors.
The loss broke a nine-game losing streak for the Explorers, who have been struggling through one of their least successful seasons in recent memory.
Game time is 7 p.m. today at Franklin Field.
