PHILADELPHIA – 'Cuse juiced! A top-10 victory was the reward for an outstanding effort as the University of Pennsylvania (8-6, 3-2) notched a 3-2 win over visiting No. 10 Syracuse (11-5, 2-4) on a beautiful, sun-soaked Sunday afternoon at Ellen Vagelos Field.

The victory marked the second win over a ranked opponent for the Quakers this season and the first in five tries over Syracuse in the all-time series dating back to 1993.

"Today showed that the Ivy League, and us specifically, can compete and beat top-10 teams," said Alexa Hoover following the game. "Everyone came out together and focused on their jobs. This is what can happen when we do that."

HOW IT HAPPENED
*The Red and Blue wasted no time in the effort and got things started early for a 1-0 lead just 3:03 into the match. A trio of seniors on the play - Jasmine Li, Alexa Hoover, and Gina Guccione - teamed up for the score as Li let off a quick pass to Hoover, who timed a well-placed ball for a Guccione deflection as they caught the SU defense on their heels.

*The Quakers had a golden opportunity in the 20^th minute when Penn was awarded a stroke for a Syracuse miscue on the goal line, but Hoover couldn't connect as SU goalkeeper Borg van der Velde laid out for the save.

*Both sides traded efforts as the half continued and Syracuse evened the score at 1-1 in the 24^th minute on a penalty corner. Roos Weers' flick on a corner battery put the visitors on the board, and the 1-1 draw held as both teams went into intermission.

*It was Syracuse who struck first in the second stanza at the 39:38 mark when Carolin Hoffmann picked up an Ava Rosati initial save to pull ahead 2-1. Just over two minutes later, Penn responded with another Guccione score from a Hoover shot to tie the game at 2-2 with 41:42 on the clock.

*The game-winner was a beauty and perhaps the play of the match when Hoover struck to give Penn the 3-2 advantage. The forward picked up an aerial ball off the dribble and shot high to the center of the net as the ball sailed over van der Velde's head for the score in the 64^th minute.

*Syracuse pulled their goalkeeper in the final minutes as both teams had to fend off player-down situations due to carding. The Quaker defense played excellent possession hockey down the stretch as the Red and Blue picked up the top-10 victory with the 3-2 win.

*On the defensive end, Rosati tallied six saves for the win while SU registered five in the defeat. Penn held a slight 10-9 advantage in shots for the afternoon while SU had the upper-hand in corners, 6-4.

UP NEXT
Penn returns to action next weekend for back-to-back games in Providence, R.I. Up first, an Ancient Eight showdown at Brown on Saturday, Oct. 28 followed by the final non-conference game of the season at Providence on Sunday, Oct. 29.

NOTES: With two victories this weekend over Yale and Syracuse, head coach Colleen Fink registered the 100^th and 101^st wins of her coaching career to cap off a great weekend for the Red and Blue.