Penn's field hockey team seems to have found a penalty corner play that works.
With the game tied 1-1 at the end of regulation play and momentum favoring its opponent, Penn's three-game winning streak looked vulnerable.
But the Quakers escaped from Hempstead, N.Y. with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Columbia after senior co-captain Kristen Gray scored a game-winning goal on a penalty corner for the second consecutive game.
Senior co-captain Lea Salese received a pass off of the corner and found Gray, whose goal gave the Quakers (8-6, 3-2 Ivy) their third consecutive Ivy League win.
"It was the same play as the Yale goal [which gave Penn a 1-0 win]," Gray said. "We really executed well."
As has often been the case this year for Penn, the game was a tale of two halves.
The Quakers came out strong in the first half against the Lions, who are winless in conference play. They appeared to be in position to claim their fourth consecutive shutout, but Columbia had other ideas.
Penn struck first with a Cara Calahan goal 25 minutes into the game, but the Lions (6-8, 0-5) equalized on a Kim Branich goal 20 minutes into the second half.
"The first half was really good hockey," assistant coach Jeremy Cook said. "But we kind of treaded water in the second half."
"They kind of stole some of our energy; they got a little momentum late in the game," Gray admitted.
However, the Quakers' execution allowed them to come out on top despite being outshot by the Lions, 11-9.
The game was Penn's first away win since a 1-0 overtime triumph over St. Joseph's on Sept. 7.
Despite being mathematically eliminated from Ivy League title contention this year, the team looks to be in good form for its last two games of the season.
PENN 1 0 1 -- 2Columbia 0 1 0 -- 1
Scoring: 1st Half: 1, PENN, Calahan 4 (Gray) 25:02.
2nd Half: 2, Columbia, Branich 3 (Day) 55:34.
Overtime: 3, PENN, Gray 5 (Salese) 82:42.
