On Saturday, the Quakers looked to defend their undefeated home record at Rhodes field in their final game of the season against the Princeton Tigers.
Unfortunately for the Quakers (9-5-2, 3-4 Ivy), they fell short and closed out their regular season with a 1-0 loss to the Tigers (14-2-1, 6-1).
“Our goal was to win this game,” coach Casey Brown said. “I felt that the team was very well organized against a nationally-ranked team that is top-ten in some polls.”
The Tigers put pressure on the Red and Blue from the very beginning of the match. Five minutes into the first half, sophomore goalkeeper Laurence Gladu had to make her first save. Shortly after the Tigers totaled their first shot, Penn’s junior defender Emily Pringle made a move around the Princeton defense to give the Quakers their first shot on goal, but it was stopped by the Tigers' goalkeeper.
Later on in the first half, Gladu made an electric, show-stopping save against one of Princeton’s strikers on a breakaway, keeping the score tied at 0-0. Overall, both teams were evenly matched in the first half of the game with the Red and Blue recording three saves, while the Tigers’ goalkeeper recorded a total of two saves.
Twenty minutes into the second half, the Tigers were able to get one past the Quakers defense and take the lead at 1-0.
The one goal deficit seemed to light a fire under the Red and Blue. They picked up their momentum and applied pressure to Princeton’s defense as reality appeared to kick in; they might lose their winning streak on Rhodes Field.
In the final minutes of the game the Quakers fired four shots at the Tigers' goalkeeper, only one of which was on goal. Even with the applied pressure by the Red and Blue, the Tigers were still able to come out victorious. Junior Sizzy Lawton and sophomore Lauren Teuschl lead the team in shots in the match, each recording at least two shots.
Penn women’s soccer will be back in action next September.
“For the upcoming season I think we need to do a lot of reflecting and everything, but I couldn’t say enough how proud I am of this amazing team,” Coach Brown said. “It’s hard to say what we need to improve on for next season as we are celebrating a lot of what was so good from this season.”
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