Just when things looked like they might be going its way, the Penn field hockey team suffered another deflating loss.
The Quakers were forced into overtime against Ivy League foe Yale on Saturday afternoon in New Haven, Conn. And, for the second time this season, Penn (5-9, 1-4 Ivy League) wasn't able to polish off the game and the two squads squared off in penalty strokes to make the final decision.
The Quakers dropped the game in penalty strokes, despite the best efforts of Penn's Liz Lorelli.
Through the first half of play, both teams focused on solid defense that prevented any goal-scoring.
Yale's Krissy Nesburg and Penn's Amanda Jacobs dutifully protected their respective goals and refused to let anything past them in the first half of play.
However, with 22 minutes left in the second half, Lorelli struck, scoring for the fourth-straight game and giving Penn the 1-0 advantage.
Unfortunately, the Quakers were unable to hold onto the lead.
Yale sophomore Sarah Driscoll, who has two goals and four assists so far this season, tied the game at one with just six minutes left in regulation play.
In the final minutes, neither team could notch a goal, and the game headed into overtime.
The overtime minutes proved to be scoreless as well, and the game was forced into penalty strokes to determine the decision.
Even though Lorelli scored the stroke for Penn, it was not enough as both Driscoll and Elizabeth Topp scored for the Elis in the stroke-off.
This marks the second time that Penn has lost in strokes -- the first time coming against Syracuse on Oct. 13. Coincidentally, the score in that game was also 1-1 heading into overtime.
Before this weekend's loss, the Red and Blue were on a three-game winning streak, their longest of the season.
Last week Penn captured an impressive win 3-2 against Georgetown.
The Quakers only have three games left in their season, and two of the games come against Ivy League rivals. The Red and Blue have yet to play Princeton. Penn will square off against their rivals on Nov. 8.
On Wednesday evening at 7 p.m., the Quakers square off against Penn State at Franklin Field.
Their final home game is on Sunday against Brown at 1 p.m.
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