This past Sunday, the Quakers were looking for their first win against a nationally ranked team this season. Penn battled it out against the Blue Hens until the very end. Unfortunately, the Quakers fell short and lost by a score of 1-0.
Penn field hockey went into the matchup having won their previous three games against Cornell, Brown, and Yale, respectively. The Quakers (6-7, 3-2 Ivy) wished to carry the momentum gained from their three-game winning streak into their matchup against the Blue Hens (9-7, 4-1).
Historically, the Quakers have not been successful against the Blue Hens. In their last eight matchups against Delaware, the Red and Blue has only beaten them twice. This weekend’s loss extends Penn's losing streak against the Blue Hens to six consecutive games.
The first half of the game was in favor of the Quakers. Penn came out with a defensive mentality, and both teams collectively only totaled five shots on goal. The Red and Blue had two shots on goal during the first half, while the Blue Hens had three. Penn’s first shot of the game came from senior captain Gracyn Banks at the end of the first quarter.
Despite Delaware's slight advantage in shots on goal, the score was tied, 0-0, going into the second half. The score remained knotted until the Blue Hens found the back of the net through a penalty corner in the middle of the third quarter. Delaware took the lead with a score of 1-0 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Quakers made a conscious effort to not give up and managed to keep the game within one goal. Early in the fourth quarter, the Red and Blue came close to sending the game into overtime. Freshman Courtney Kenah passed the ball to Banks, who then took a shot on net that was stopped by the Blue Hens goalkeeper.
With their latest loss to the Blue Hens, the Quakers added another loss to a nationally ranked team to their record. The team’s seven losses are all against nationally ranked teams, including No. 1 North Carolina, No. 5 Louisville, No. 12 Harvard, and No. 17 Princeton.
Up next, the Quakers hope to turn things around when they play at Columbia (8-5-1, 2-3 Ivy) on Oct. 29th at 5:00 p.m.
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