In a hard-fought battle against one of its Ivy League rivals, the Penn field hockey team culminated its season Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Yale in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship game.
Junior Liz Lorelli capped off her remarkable season by scoring her Ivy League-leading 20th goal of the season to give Penn a 1-0 lead. Lorelli will finish the season ranked among the top goal scorers in the nation. Heading into Saturday's game, Lorelli was ranked ninth in the nation in goals and fifth in goals per game (1.12).
Goalkeeper Elizabeth Schlossberg recorded seven second-half saves, as the freshman sensation finished the season with six straight complete game performances.
But despite contributions from their key players, the Quakers fell short as the Elis became the first team to win back-to-back ECAC Championships.
"It has been a great season overall," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "We wanted another shot at this team and we managed to get it."
Penn also fell to Yale, 2-1, on Oct. 26 on Franklin Field.
The Quakers finished with a 10-8 overall record -- their best since 1997 -- while going 3-5 against Ivy League opponents.
The Red and Blue's seven-game winning streak midway through the year gave them a winning record and a chance to avenge their earlier season loss to Yale in a championship game.
However, the Quakers could not capitalize on their good luck.
The Elis -- who finished 12-6 and 6-2 Ivy against Ivy teams -- outshot Penn, 11-3, in the second half while preventing the Quakers from firing any shots on goal in erasing an early 1-0 deficit.
As they have all season, the Quakers experienced second-half offensive woes after giving up the lead. Penn came up empty on several penalty corner chances.
As Penn struggled after Lorelli's early goal, Yale substitute Elizabeth Topp slipped through the Quakers' defense and scored the game-winning goal with 3:22 remaining in regulation.
"Unfortunately, we finished just short of a win," Lorelli said. "Our defense played really well, they have been so amazing this year."
Lorelli broke a scoreless tie in the first half when she dribbled the ball into the circle and took a shot with just over 21 minutes remaining. The ball deflected off a Yale defender's stick and went past Elis goalie Krissy Nesburg, giving Penn a 1-0 lead.
Yale knotted the score at one three minutes later when senior Stephanie Dolmat-Connell tipped in a shot from freshman Lindsay Collins.
The Elis' offense came out strong in the second half but could not get one past Schlossberg and the Red and Blue defense until late in the game.
Yale senior Jana Halfon, who finished third in the Ivy League in points (30), was named MVP of the game.
Three seniors -- Emily Farnesi, Courtney Blenheim and Marianne Rogers -- saw their last action for Penn Saturday. Also substituting in the second half was junior Cecilia Carriquiry, who had missed the whole season to date due to a back injury.
Despite the loss, the Quakers are optimistic that they can continue their success next season.
"It was great to have the opportunity to play in a postseason game," Lorelli said. "I think we learned a lot from it for next year."
