The Penn women's soccer team was going for a first this weekend by handing Northwestern its first loss at its brand new stadium, Lakeside Field. But the Quakers would have to settle for a draw.
Penn and Northwestern played to a 1-1 tie on Friday night, but the Quakers made sure not to leave the Windy City without a victory as they blew away Loyola-Chicago yesterday, 5-1.
Penn (4-1-1) went into halftime against the Wildcats (4-1-2) down 1-0 after senior Kelley Hans added to her school scoring record with the 31st of her career in the 23rd minute. Northwestern held Penn to only three shots in the half.
However, it didn't take the Quakers long to capitalize with the wind at their backs, as freshman Kristin Kaiser came off the bench to score the equalizer less than a minute after intermission. The goal was set up by a beautiful pass by sophomore Jess Rothenheber and Kaiser made no mistake with the breakaway opportunity.
Unlike Penn's loss against Michigan State last weekend, in which the Quakers dominated play but left with a loss, Penn was beaten in many statistical categories against the Wildcats and may have been fortunate to come away with a draw.
The Quakers were outshot 16-9 and, even more tellingly, allowed their opponents a 7-1 edge in corner kicks. Goalkeeper Sara Rose kept them in the game with nine saves.
As for yesterday's match, the Quakers came in as the heavy favorites, and they did not disappoint.
It looked as if Penn would walk away with an easy victory as both Jessica Fuccello and Molly Weir scored in the game's first 20 minutes. Cynthia Morote-Ariza made it interesting with a goal in the 26th minute to bring the Ramblers within one.
Penn added a goal just before halftime and poured it on with two second-half goals, including Fuccello's second of the match.
Penn also saw two players make their returns from injury, as forward Ellen Gregory came off the bench against the Wildcats before starting the game yesterday.
Goalkeeper Cailly Carroll also returned after a head injury, playing the entire second half against the Ramblers and making one save.
Coming away unscathed against lesser-known opponents, Penn hopes to continue its three-game unbeaten streak against familiar foes next weekend, when it will face La Salle and Villanova.
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