Playing the second-ranked Maryland Terrapins could have been an easy game to concede for the Penn field hockey team, but that was hardly the case.
The Quakers put up one of their best efforts of the season, losing 3-1 in College Park, Md., last night.
It hardly felt like a loss to Penn coach Val Cloud.
"I'm extremely proud of my team tonight," Cloud said.
As well she should have been. The Terrapins (10-0) won their last three games in shutouts, including a 1-0 victory at Harvard, and have yet to lose this season. Any offense against Maryland has been a noteworthy accomplishment this year.
Going into the second half, it was looking like more of the same from the Terrapins as the Quakers (3-4) trailed 2-0. Then, in the second minute of the half, senior forward Lea Salese scored her fifth goal of the season and put an end to the drought.
Suddenly, the Quakers were within one goal of one of the best teams in the nation.
However, there's a reason that Maryland is one of the sport's top teams, and they quickly retaliated with a goal two minutes later. The Quakers pressured Maryland as the half went on, but could not manage any more goals.
Still, for a Penn team that has struggled in the early part of the season, this game could be the beginning of a strong finishing kick.
Senior Kelly MacFadden, playing her first game as sweeper, said that this was one of the "smartest, most well played games of the season," which she hopes is a sign of things to come.
The game was a homecoming for junior goalkeeper Liz Schlossberg, who grew up in nearby Chevy Chase, Md. Her high school coach was in attendance, and her former captain now plays for the Terrapins.
If there was any added pressure on the junior goalkeeper, it didn't show.
Schlossberg made 10 saves and held a potent offense to three goals adding that the familiar faces just made it more fun and competitive.
The loss was Penn's 10th straight to the Terps, who have had the advantage of playing all the matchups at home recently. Maryland has not traveled to Philadelphia since 1995, and the last four meetings have been in College Park.
As for the chance that the Terps will make the return trip, Cloud is not holding her breath, saying that they are unlikely to reciprocate because Franklin Field does not have AstroTurf.
PENN 0 1 -- 1(2)Maryland 2 1 -- 3
Scoring: 1st Half: 1, Maryland, Ciconte 9 (Marsh) 1:29; 2, Maryland, Marsh 9, 20:44.
2nd Half: 3, PENN, Salese 5, 36:39; 4, Maryland, Marsh 9 (Rowe) 38:25.
