Wednesday night, it was deja vu for the Quakers.
The Penn field hockey team suffered a defeat at the hands of Big 5 rival Villanova for the second consecutive year, losing by a score of 4-0.
Similar to their matchup last weekend against Ivy League foe Cornell, the Quakers (1-4, 0-1 Ivy) started off the game strong.
Penn’s defense fended off three shots on goal — one of which added to goalkeeper Kieran Sweeney’s eight saves on the night — before the Wildcats (2-4) netted their first goal ten minutes into the game.
The goal came off of one of Villanova’s 15 total penalty corners, as senior forward Dana Ramsden, assisted by teammate Lauren Wuzzardo, put the ball past Sweeney.
The Quakers continued to keep the game within reach. Despite Villanova’s multiple scoring opportunities, including six penalty corners and twelve shots on goal, Penn held the Wildcats scoreless for the remainder of the first half.
But the Quakers let the game slip away after halftime.
When senior Meredith Sabatini netted Villanova’s second goal nine minutes into the second half, the flood gates opened. Wildcats midfielder Moriah Allen assisted the team’s third goal just over one minute later.
The Wildcats’ final goal came with ten minutes left to play, when Sam Haas found the net off of an assist from Sabatini.
Penn could not generate any offense of their own. In their last matchup, against Cornell, the team struggled to convert defensive plays into strong attack — and last night was no different.
In the first half alone, the Quakers were outshot five to 12. Penn also had 10 penalty corners, compared to Villanova’s 15.
Freshman midfielder Julia Tahan (sister of former Penn player Kelsey Tahan) led the team in shots, accounting for three of the Quakers’ seven.
However, Penn struggled to make quality shots, only getting one on goal during the game. Villanova managed to put 12 of their 21 shots on net.
Meanwhile, Wuzzardo alone tallied the same amount of shots for Villanova as the entire Penn squad, amassing seven for the Wildcats.
Coach Colleen Quinn Fink could not be reached for comment.
With this loss, the Quakers have extended their losing streak to three. Penn will look to break its streak when it faces Ivy rival Harvard at Franklin Field Saturday at noon.
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