The last three times the Yale women’s lacrosse team faced off with Penn, the Bulldogs attack left not with a bark, but with a whimper.
Yale did not score more than four goals in any of those contests and has not defeated Penn since 2004.
The Bulldogs will have a chance to reverse those fortunes in New Haven, Conn., Saturday, but — at least on paper — the vaunted Penn defense should once again rule the day.
No. 5 Penn is riding the momentum of its first shutout in over 30 years against Saint Joseph’s Wednesday and has allowed an average of only 5.3 goals per game on the season.
Meanwhile, unranked Yale has been outscored by an average of more than 3 goals per game.
But even though the Quakers have now won 23 Ivy League games in a row, Penn isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Every Ivy gets up to play each other,” coach Karin Brower Corbett said. “They’re going to be eager to beat us on their home field. We’ve got to go in there and be cleaner than we were [Wednesday].”
Yale is led offensively by Devon Rhodes, who has taken more than a third of her team’s shots and leads the Bulldogs with 13 goals and five assists.
Meanwhile six Penn players have scored eight or more goals, led by Ali DeLuca’s 17, and five players have reached double digits in points.
But the Penn attack will face a bit of a challenge in Yale goalkeeper Whitney Quackenbush, who has put up an impressive .527 save percentage.
Those numbers are even more impressive due to the high volume of shots that the Bulldogs have allowed. Quackenbush has had 33 more save opportunities than her Penn counterparts, Emily Szelest and Emily Leitner, combined.
In nearly every other statistical category — including scoring margin, forced turnovers, draw controls, ground balls and clear percentage — Penn holds a distinct advantage.
Yet Yale stands in the way of Penn’s goal to once again win the Ivy League, so the Quakers are hardly complacent.
“This year more than any year the Ivies mean everything to us,” senior defense Barb Seaman said “The rivalry is always fun within the Ivies, so we’re all excited.”
Emma Spiro’s status this weekend is still uncertain, which means that freshman Maddie Poplawski will continue to have a big role in the midfield. Poplawski has been a helpful addition to the Penn roster this season, as she has stepped up to score nine goals so far.
