Penn junior midfielder Kristen Gray provided the only goal for the Penn field hockey team, in an otherwise dismal team performance against Harvard on Saturday.
The game was scoreless in the first half, a strong defensive standoff between the two teams.
The second half was another matter, however. The Quakers gave up three straight goals to the Crimson. Gray's goal with six minutes left was not enough, as Harvard held on to win, 3-1.
"I do not think that they were a better team than us," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "I think they capitalized on their opportunities. We were not very good at all today, throughout the whole game we didn't execute."
Despite the strong defense in the first half, the Quakers (1-3, 0-1 Ivy) broke down in the second, losing momentum after two quick Harvard goals. Crimson sophomore Gretchen Fuller notched the initial score, and was followed up by her teammate senior Shelley Maasdorp five minutes later. Junior Jane Sackovich drove home the dagger for the Crimson (3-0, 1-0), coming with 10 minutes left in the game.
"I think there was a breakdown" with the third goal, Cloud said. "They got away with what we call a junk goal."
In light of the defensive lapses, there was some hope for the Red and Blue, as Gray scored with six minutes remaining. Sophomore goalkeeper Elizabeth Schlossberg made a season high eight saves in the contest.
Junior defender Kelly McFadden saw some other positives from the loss, reflecting on last year's outing against Harvard.
"We had another tough loss in which we were up, 2-0. They came back to tie it up and went into overtime and lost," McFadden said. "The positive this year is that we were down and we still scored with less than 10 minutes left. We didn't give up in the end." The loss did nothing, however, to dash Penn's Ivy League chances in Cloud's mind.
Harvard is "always one of the tougher Ivy League opponents," Cloud said. "But you know somebody will beat them so we're not out of it.
"They're always right behind Princeton, and they're both not going to run through the league, so we still have our chances." For now, the Quakers look to take on local opponent Lafayette in a CSTV televised game tomorrow night in Easton, Pa.
"I don't think we really need any extra motivation against Lafayette," McFadden said. "They're a scrappy team, you never really know what they will bring to the field."
There is a bit of history between Lafayette and Penn. The showdown will come as a break before the Quakers continue their Ivy League schedule.
"It's always a tough game," Cloud said. "It has been a rivalry as long as I can remember, for 25 years and probably before that."
They're a tough team, it's not going to be a walkover by any means. I think it is important to win before we face off with Cornell."
Harvard 0 3 -- 3 PENN 0 1 -- 1
Goals: 1. Fuller (H) 47:23 (unassisted); 2. Maasdorp (H) 52:19 (Gannon);
3. Sackovich (H) 60:29 (unassisted); 4. Gray (P) 64:57 (Calahan)
