All good things must come to an end.
That’s the lesson the Penn women’s lacrosse team learned the hard way on Saturday afternoon after seeing its four-game winning streak snapped in a loss to Maryland, 15-10.
The No. 24 Red and Blue (4-4) traveled to College Park to face the No. 1 Terrapins (13-0) on their home field and for the most part, they held their own.
It wasn’t a pretty start to the game, though. Maryland came out swinging, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead, which was eventually extended to 10-3 in the waning moments of the first half. However, Penn turned the tide and scored two quick goals to cut the lead to five going into the break.
The second half yielded a much different Quakers squad than the one that played in the first half. After a last minute goal from senior midfield Maddie Poplawski, the Red and Blue were able to tie the Terrapins in second-half scoring, 5-5.
Though the defense stepped up tremendously after the break, the five-goal deficit was simply too much to overcome. Penn closed the gap to four goals after Maryland had extended the lead to six at one point. But the second stanza proved to be a back-and-forth battle.
A major difference maker for Penn turned out be an aspect of the game that coach Karin Brower Corbett has been preaching all year — draw controls. When the Quakers were outscored, 10-5, in the first half, the Terrapins had nine more draw controls, 12-3. But in the second half, when the Red and Blue hung tough with the best team in the country, Penn led in the category, 7-4.
As for scoring, Penn was yet again led by freshman midfield Iris Williamson. The rookie eclipsed the 20 goal mark with her four-goal effort.
SEE ALSO
Top-ranked Terrapins up next for Penn women’s lacrosse
Nothing average about women’s lacrosse frosh sensation
Penn junior attack and Maryland native Courtney Tomchik had a memorable homecoming, scoring two goals on three shots, while Poplawski also added a pair of goals.
Penn junior midfield and last week’s WomensLax.com National Player of the Week Shannon Mangini didn’t have the performance she had last game, but she still contributed a goal in the effort.
Despite the loss, this was far from a blowout, and Penn now knows that if it can get more draw controls and tighten up its defense, it can hang with the country’s best teams.
With only four contests left within the Ancient Eight, the Quakers still have a chance to finish the conference slate undefeated, which would guarantee them a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
