The Penn field hockey team was unable to upset heavily favored Princeton on Friday at Franklin Field as it fell, 3-1. However, given that the Tigers entered with a nine-game winning streak over Penn and have won the Ivies 10 straight seasons, the result was still a bit of a moral victory.
Going into Friday's game, the only people not overly focused on Princeton's unbeaten Ivy record or its No. 11 national ranking were the members of the Penn field hockey team (10-7, 3-4).
"We came into tonight really believing we had a chance to win," senior forward Marianne Rogers said.
While Penn's defense was effective in the first half -- it was only the third time Princeton (12-5, 7-0 Ivy) was shut out in the first half this season -- the Quakers let up three goals in the second half in a 3-1 loss to the Tigers at Franklin Field.
A Homecoming crowd of 320 -- the highest of Penn's season supported the Quakers as they tried to clinch a winning record in the Ancient Eight against one of the most storied programs in Ivy League athletics.
But despite Penn's best efforts, NCAA Tournament-bound Princeton was able to increase its winning streak over Penn to 10 games.
"Our defense played especially well and kept us in it," Penn coach Val Cloud said.
Penn junior Liz Lorelli concluded her record-setting regular season in dramatic fashion, scoring her Ivy League-leading 19th goal of the season off a shot from sophomore Kristen Gray to bring the Quakers within one, 2-1, with just under two minutes to play.
But Princeton marched down the field on the next possession and put the game out of reach when junior Kelly Darling scored off an assist from sophomore Maren Ford.
"I would have liked it if [Princeton] hadn't scored that third goal," Cloud said. "But it happened anyway."
The Quakers' defense, led by freshman goalie Elizabeth Schlossberg, denied Princeton on several good scoring opportunities that would have broken the game wide open.
Senior co-captain Emily Farnesi and junior Bernice Raveche made key defensive saves in the first and second halves, respectively.
Schlossberg finished with six saves.
"We knew coming in that [Penn] was a very good team defensively," Princeton coach Kristen Holmes-Winn said. "We wanted to get as many scoring opportunities on them as possible against Liz [Schlossberg], who is having a great year."
Princeton did exactly that in the second half, as they peppered Schlossberg with 10 shots. Junior Ashley Sennett gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with just under 27 minutes to play. Ford would later make it 2-0 off an assist from Darling.
While Schlossberg kept Penn close, Princeton did dominate the game statistically. The Tigers outshot Penn, 17-6, and held the advantage in penalty corners, 14-4.
Even though Princeton could not find the back of the net until the second half, it kept the ball on its offensive side of the field for the majority of the game, allowing Penn few scoring chances.
"They are a very balanced team and they handle the ball really well," Cloud said.
Despite the loss, the Quakers' defensive prominence and ability to stay with the Tigers for much of the game indicates that the gap between the two teams may be shrinking.
"This is the closest we have been with [Princeton] in the four years I've been here," Rogers said. "It shows the mindset, that we came in here thinking we had a chance to win."
