In the past two renditions of the Ivy League Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, No. 16 Penn women’s lacrosse duked it out with No. 7 Yale for the title. This time around, they faced off in the semifinals of the tournament.
In the Red and Blue’s three of the last four matchups against Yale, it came down to overtime. Two of those three times, Yale came out victorious, much to Penn’s chagrin. Yale got the last laugh once again today, winning 11-10 with a last-second goal.
Low-scoring games mean every possession matters more. Today, that was on show as the teams combined for just nine goals in the first half. The two defense-first teams were methodical on offense, as they both opted to move the ball around the arc, using up as much shot clock as possible, rather than charging in toward the goal.
Penn (10-6, 5-2 Ivy) could not get off to the same explosive offensive start as they normally had after struggling to win the draw. After winning the first two draws, Yale (12-3, 5-2 Ivy) won the next seven.
Fortunately for the Red and Blue, its stout defensive unit, led by senior Ivy League Defender of the Year Natasha Gorriaran, was well-organized and swarmed any Yale attacker who caught the ball in the arc to stifle the Yale offense in the first half. Ivy League Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Year Orly Sedransk denied Yale any momentum-defining scores. Put this all together, and you get a 20-minute scoring drought for Yale.
For the Quakers, it was none other than senior Ivy League Midfielder of the Year Anna Brandt to step up — bookending the scoring in the first half. Her first goal was the first of the game and saw her rocket in her shot from just outside the eight-yard arc. Her last goal, which came off a free-position shot with just one second left on the clock, gave the Quakers a one-goal edge heading into the halftime break.
The second half was once again dominated by strong defensive play, with both teams going on lengthy scoring droughts. Senior midfielder Gracie Smith opened up the scoring with a shot with the stick in her non-dominant hand, just squeezing by Yale goalkeeper Niamh Pfaff. On the other end, Yale midfielder Taylor Lane was able to put away her second goal of the game to bring the Bulldogs back within one.
While Brandt is known for her scoring prowess, today, Brandt did a little bit of everything. Midway through the second period, a picked pass and a 60-yard sprint allowed her to set up Gorriaran for the assist to senior attacker Keeley Block, who buried her shot to give Penn a two-goal lead. Just over a minute later, Block picked up her third goal of the night off a free-position shot to give the Quakers a three-goal lead — the largest lead any team held all night.
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Heading into the fourth and final period of play, Penn had the slight advantage with a two-goal lead. A few minutes and goals later, Yale midfielder Fallon Vaughn got the equalizer to make the game 9-9. But the tie did not last long. Junior attacker Patricia Columbia-Walsh wound up at the eight-meter for a free-position shot. Driving in, Columbia-Walsh gave the lead back to Penn.
With less than two minutes left, Penn looked to nail the dagger. But while passing the ball around to line up the perfect shot, disaster struck. Yale midfielder Katie Clare intercepted a pass behind the cage to give Yale another chance on the offensive end. And Yale did not squander their chance. Yale attacker Jenna Collignon beat her defenders off a cut to tie the game at 10-10.
The Bulldogs won the draws 15-9 today, but the next two were the most important for the whole day. With the ball in their sticks, they rotated the ball around the field to find their perfect shot. And they got it when the Quakers left Lane wide open along the eight-meter. Lane did not waste time to give her team the 10-11 lead with 13 seconds left.
Penn needed a miracle. But the play never materialized because Yale won the draw, securing the victory and their chance to defend their Ivy League Tournament title on May 4.
Later that same evening, Penn will find out during the selection show if they are one of the 14 teams to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
