With one strike of the ball, a great weekend for the Penn women's soccer team suddenly took on a heartbreaking feel.
Villanova's Valerie Grow booted a 30-yard shot into the back of the net with just over six minutes remaining in double overtime to seal a 2-1 victory for the 22nd-ranked Wildcats.
Penn (1-3-0) had defeated Vanderbilt, 3-0, in its first match of the Penn Soccer Invitational before dropping the decision to Villanova.
"It's incredibly disappointing because for the first half we absolutely dominated," Penn coach Darren Ambrose said.
"What hurts is looking those girls in the eye after the game and saying, "You know what, you played your hearts out.'"
Indeed, the Quakers battled throughout the game, falling behind 1-0 before senior Katy Cross hit the equalizer with 30 minutes remaining.
Penn had several late chances, none better than when senior Rachelle Snyder stole the ball from Villanova goalkeeper Jillian Loyden and came tantalizingly close to the winning goal, missing just high above the crossbar.
One area Ambrose believes the team can improve upon is finishing.
"We're a little unsure," he said. "We need to spend some time working in the final third and around the goal."
Playing for nearly 120 minutes in the September heat, The Quakers experienced some fatigue during overtime.
"We're just still trying to get our full-game fitness now," Ambrose said. However, he did not cite that as a reason for the loss. Rather, luck ultimately became the determining factor.
"We created chances and we defended well. We were beaten by what you call in basketball a prayer," Ambrose said.
No divine intervention was necessary in the first round of the Penn Soccer Invitational, as the Quakers easily handled Vanderbilt.
Cross' goal, less than two minutes into the game against the Commodores, was an omen of big things for the Quakers.
As well as scoring two goals this weekend, Cross' assist to senior Lydia Bojcun tied her with Kellianne Toland for first all-time on Penn's list.
"She's very tough to defend," Ambrose said of Cross.
Cross is a name Vanderbilt will soon not forget, as she was responsible for a goal and an assist. Her namesake, junior Carolyn Cross, chipped in with a goal late in the second half.
Despite the heartbreaking finish to the weekend, the Quakers showed they could hang with a top 25 team, giving them much-needed confidence as they head to the west coast to face California and San Francisco next weekend.
Vanderbilt 0 0 -- 0PENN 1 2 -- 3
First half -- 1. Cross, K (P) 1:17 (Snyder)
Second half -- 2. Bojcun (P) 63:50 (Cross, K.); 3. Cross, C (P) 79:26 (unassisted)
Villanova 0 1 0 1 -- 2PENN 0 1 0 0 -- 1
First half -- None
Second half -- 1. Mabery (V) 52.26 (Johnson); 2. Cross, K. (P) 60:43 (Watson, Bome)
Second Overtime -- 3. Grow (V) 103:14 (unassisted)
