Only Temple goalie Megan McLouth stood between Penn's Ali Ryan and the net. The crowd rose to its feet in anticipation of another goal for the attacker, who had already tallied four. But Ryan had other plans.
The junior handed off the ball to teammate Emily Cochran. Cochran easily put the ball away for her second goal of the game, and the Quakers' went on to a 10-4 victory.
However, the Quakers (2-1) could not ignore the much rockier opening at Geasey Field.
The Owls (1-2) took an early lead, scoring their first goal six minutes into the game.
"It was messy," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "It was like we were flat. We came out slow, and we beat them last year so we were thinking we were going to beat them again, and that sometimes will kill you."
Ryan put Penn on the board with her first goal 18 minutes into the half. Her goal finally gave the Quakers a chance to exhibit their own offensive prowess after a period of constant pressure from Temple in their defensive zone.
One goal was all Penn needed to jumpstart its offense.
The team threw all its weight behind its offensive campaign, hammering the Owls' defense and running the score to 5-1 by the end of the half.
Despite the encouraging final score, the Quakers did not shy away from self-criticism.
"We clearly did what we needed to do to win, but it just was sloppy," Brower said. "We were dropping the ball, and not making good passes and not making good decisions a lot of the time."
With Ivy League play beginning Saturday against Yale, Penn has only a few days to correct the errors that plagued it yesterday.
