Although it was a game that the Penn women's lacrosse team would soon like to forget, much can be learned from its season-opening loss to Loyola.
While the fifth-ranked Greyhounds were the better team on Saturday afternoon, as they cruised to a 13-4 victory, there were several bright spots for Penn.
The play of junior goalkeeper Liz Lorelli was exceptional. She had a game-high 17 saves for the Quakers and stopped a number of point-blank shots.
Penn was not lacking in scoring opportunities, but frequently rushed shots. The inability to take rebounds away from the smothering Loyola defense made it hard for Penn to put the ball in the net.
Sophomore Lauren McDermott thought the Quakers' performance was not representative of their potential.
"This is not what our team looks like at all," she said. "Loyola had size on us and brought so much intensity; a lot of the girls just didn't know what to expect."
Junior midfielder Ali Juras echoed her teammate's sentiments.
"We really didn't play up to our potential," she said. "I can assure you it won't look like this again."
In spite of the Quakers' defeat, playing such a tough team in their season opener was an intentional move by Penn coach Karin Brower. The Quakers now know their weaknesses and the new starters now know what to expect when playing a nationally ranked team.
"We just didn't have the game we had worked on in practice," Brower said. "We had too many unforced errors and turnovers. Offensively we were stationery and defensively we didn't deny any of the cutters. Liz [Lorelli] had a great game, but we left her alone back there."
Each of Penn's four goals were scored by different players, which is a testament to the Quakers' depth and just how dangerous their offense can be when it is run well.
Defensively, the Quakers seemed to stand still as the Loyola attackers used their quickness to set up shots within six feet of the net.
"We need to communicate better on defense," McDermott said. "We left girls wide open behind the net and allowed Loyola to set up their attack."
The next test for Penn will be this Wednesday when it faces Delaware away. Although three days is a short time for preparation, the Quakers feel confident that there will be a vast improvement over this Saturday's play.
"After Saturday's game there are three things we are going to do," Juras said. "We're going to learn from it, forget about it and then move on."
