In the game of field hockey, penalty strokes are as infrequent as they are difficult to save. During last night's game at Villanova, Penn sophomore goalie Elizabeth Schlossberg faced two.
She stopped them both.
Despite Schlossberg's valiant efforts, however, the Red and Blue suffered a loss that they will not soon forget.
The Quakers(5-4, 1-1 Ivy ) fell, 1-0, to the Wildcats (6-3). Challenged on foreign turf, Penn could not hold the Villanova attack, which found the back of the net with just seven minutes left in the game.
"Villanova was the better team out there tonight," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "We just couldn't sustain much of an attack for a long period of time."
Responding to struggles in its offensive zone, the Penn defense took control. Led by Schlossberg, who recorded 10 saves in the game, the Quakers' defense contained the potent Wildcats attack for almost the entire game with intense play, especially inside the circle.
"Our goalie played magnificently," Cloud said. The thwarting of two Villanova penalty strokes highlighted Schlossberg's performance.
Midway through the first half, a 'Nova shot was lifted into a Quakers defender. A subsequent penalty stroke placed the sophomore goalie face-to-face with a Wildcats forward. Poised and relaxed, Schlossberg saved the shot to preserve the scoreless tie.
Ten minutes later, chaos in front of the cage created what seems to be a recurring nightmare for the Quakers.
Schlossberg saved the game's second penalty stroke, keeping the Quakers' chance for another shutout and possible victory. Villanova forward Rory Rogers provided the difference in the game, however, when she found the back of the goal late in the second half.
"We obviously didn't play our best," Schlossberg said. "We are a much better team than how we played tonight."
Penn freshman sweeper Melissa Black showed why she was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week, as she contributed to the Quakers' strong defensive performance. But she still could not save the struggling squad.
"It was a frustrating game for everyone," Black said. "At halftime we didn't change what we knew we needed to change. We were frantic because they were pressuring us. ... They out-hustled us."
The Quakers hope to grow from the loss. Weaknesses in last night's play, including "quickness of passes and changing direction," will be targeted in upcoming practices, said Cloud, who looks optimistically toward the squad's next match against Dartmouth.
Though held scoreless by Villanova's defenders, the Penn offense was hardly dormant.
"We had a burst towards the end," Cloud said. "We got the momentum going but couldn't score."
Penn junior Cara Calahan led the offensive surge at the end of the game. Though she earned nine of Penn's 12 shots, she failed to find an opening to score.
PENN 0 0 -- 0Villanova 0 1 -- 1
Goals: 1. Rogers (V) 65:05 (Schmidt)
