As the ball rolled towards the right corner of the field four minutes into overtime, there was a lot running through Marin McDermott's mind.
The forward thought about the opportunity to score the game-winning goal against No. 25 Pittsburgh - if only she could find the right angle. She also had to deal with the defender trying to prevent her from reaching the ball.
But as McDermott forced the ball across the field and into the left side of the net, one thing was absent from her thoughts.
"Failure wasn't going through my mind at all," the sophomore said.
McDermott's kick sneaked by Panthers goalie Morie Kephart to give the Quakers a dramatic 2-1 victory yesterday at Rhodes Field.
"I knew I was faster [than the defender] so I knew if I could get one step ahead of her I had a chance," McDermott said.
The win, which followed a frustrating 2-1 loss to Northwestern Friday, could have ended even earlier.
After a back-and-forth first half, Pitt (4-2-0) broke a 0-0 tie with junior Christina Nicassio's goal in the 53rd minute. But Penn (3-1) continued working the ball into Pitt territory, eventually responding when Kaitlin Campbell got a header off a free kick in the 85th minute.
In an attempt to free up athletic players like Campbell, "we've put some [free kick plays] in place in the preseason," Penn coach Da1rren Ambrose said. "We wanted to put the ball in a dangerous position and then challenge [the defense] … and I was really disappointed in how we did that on Friday."
Ambrose said he emphasized set pieces throughout the game, and eventually Campbell came through.
"[Running plays] is just a mentality thing and a focus thing," Campbell said. "I think it really paid off."
Minutes after the Quakers tied the game, it appeared that they would complete their come-from-behind win in regulation. But a potential goal with just over a minute left was called off due to a Penn foul.
The questionable call only added fuel to Penn's fire.
"We all came out [for overtime] fired up and ready to go," McDermott said. "We wanted to get it over with quick because we knew we deserved to win."
Ambrose credited McDermott's overtime goal to "sheer will and determination" and a little bit of luck that Kephart made a mistake after playing a fine game.
"I think today we outworked them," he said.
Friday's match against the Wildcats (3-4-1) provided a sharp contrast. Penn recorded just 10 shots in the game - which was played on the field turf of Drexel's Vidas Field due to rain - and was affected by the subpar conditions.
"I think mentally we were a little bit on the backfoot," Ambrose said. "[Northwestern] gained the upper hand before the game started … we were not intimidated, but we just lacked confidence."
Kristin Kaiser gave Penn its only goal with 2:35 left, but that was not before the Wildcats - accustomed to playing in bad weather in Evanston, Ill. - evaded Quakers goalie Caroline Williams for two goals.
"[The turf] was just fast and slippery," Campbell said. "There were some bad bounces both ways so it was hard to anticipate where the ball was going."
Despite the disappointing loss, Penn demonstrated by beating nationally ranked Pitt that respond to adversity.
"I say all the time, 'a loss is only a loss if you don't learn from it,'" Ambrose said.
