PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team, behind Sizzy Lawton's first-half goal, earned another three points at Rhodes Field, improving to 6-1-1 in University City this season with a 1-0 shutout of Dartmouth on Saturday afternoon.
NOTES
*Penn improved to 6-1-1 at Rhodes Field this season.
*When leading at the halftime break, Penn is 6-0.
*Sizzy Lawton scored her third goal of the season, raising her season total to seven points, most of any freshman.
*The Quakers secured their fifth clean sheet and first since a 4-0 thumping of Loyola.
*The victory was Penn's third straight 1-0 win over Dartmouth. The Quakers haven't lost to the Big Green since 2014.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first chance of the afternoon went Dartmouth's way in the eighth minute when an attacker made her way to the end line and picked out an open player near the penalty spot. In order to keep the match level at 0-0, Kitty Qu sprung to her right and batted the ball away from the top corner.
The save seemed to build momentum on Penn's side as just three minutes later, the Quakers buried the game's first goal. In the 11th minute, Breukelen Woodard won the ball well in the left corner, the ball made its way to Emma Loving, who fed a pass to the top of the box. Paige Howard won a 50/50 tackle, managing to find Sizzy Lawton's feet and the freshman took a few touches to steady herself before lacing a shot into the near corner, pushing it past the keeper's left hand.
Qu needed to make an intervention again in the 23rd minute. A teasing ball forced Qu off her line, leaping over a slew of bodies to gobble up the loose ball. Yet again, Qu's involvement almost led to a Quaker goal. In the 26th minute, Loving cut in from the right wing and whipped a pass with her left foot to the back post. The ball soared right to Jackie Bruder, who hit a volley on her first touch, forcing a save and corner kick.
Through the first 45 ticks, Penn doubled the Big Green's two shots and took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, just seconds after Howard entered the game, she provided instant offense. In the 61st minute, she was slipped in behind but her shot sailed over the bar. Just a minute later, Howard worked to the end line and hit a dangerous ball across the middle, but just couldn't find a Quakers' feet.
Over the final 20 minutes, like most one-goal Ivy League games, Dartmouth turned up the pressure. The Big Green mounted dangerous attempts, including a free kick that rattled the crossbar in the 78th minute, but Penn secured the clean sheet and picked up a massive three points. Sara Readinger, Chase Geffert and Peyton Raun were extremely impactful all afternoon, but especially down the stretch, consistently battling for position and winning countless balls in the air.
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