After scoring game-winning goals in back-to-back games, one would expect junior Liz Lorelli to feel a sense of accomplishment and excitement.
But instead, the All-Ivy forward described her goal that gave Penn a 3-2 win against Villanova last night simply as a "relief."
"I just missed a big chance right before that," Lorelli said. "So I would have been really upset had I missed that opportunity."
While Lorelli responded humbly to her personal recent success, she was not as shy about the team's success.
The comeback victory against the Wildcats (5-5) brought the Penn field hockey team (4-4, 1-1 Ivy) to .500 for the first time since Sept. 13, when a loss at Harvard pushed its record to 1-2.
"Now we're .500, so we have a lot of momentum going," Lorelli said.
Penn had a shaky start to the season, losing its first game to Delaware and falling to 2-4 with a 2-0 setback to Penn State.
But the victory over Villanova provided Penn with its first consecutive victories this season. The first of the two wins came against La Salle on Sept. 27.
"It was really a crucial win for the team," Lorelli said. "It's been a goal for our team that we really want to win the [Philadelphia] City 6."
The Wildcats opened up the scoring with a goal by Leah Lisausky, but Penn quickly countered with Lorelli's first of two goals.
Each team scored once more before the first half ended, heading into the locker room even at two apiece. Sophomore Cara Calahan scored the Quakers' second goal with an assist from Lorelli.
Villanova's style of play was slightly different than the Quakers were accustomed to facing, and they made adjustments prior to the game to counter the Wildcats' effectiveness.
"Villanova's home turf is practically like grass," Lorelli said. "We played a different style against them.
"They hit a lot of big balls down the field, so we played a lot of man-to-man [defense]."
In addition to Lorelli's strong performances over the last two games, freshman goalie Elizabeth Schlossberg has been equally impressive.
She notched her first collegiate victory against La Salle, making three saves. Against Villanova, Schlossberg notched five saves, allowed no goals and posted her second win of the year. The Chevy Chase, Md., native allowed no goals in her win over La Salle either, playing in the second half of both victories.
Penn is playing better as a team and seems poised to continue its Ivy League season with success against Dartmouth this Saturday at Franklin Field.
"With time we've gotten much better working together," Lorelli said. "Everything is looking pretty good."
