PHILADELPHIA – A slow start doomed the University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team on Friday night at Rhodes Field as the Quakers dropped a 2-1 decision to two-time defending CAA champion Hofstra after falling behind 2-0 after just 23 minutes.

The Pride's goals came in the ninth minute and then the 23rd to jump all over Penn in the first half. The Quakers regrouped, though, and earned a goal back in the second half on a spot kick from Katharine Larson, her first career goal.

NOTES
*Kitty Qu made six saves on the night, including the 200th of her career.

*Katharine Larson earned a penalty in the 57th minute and buried her chance for the first goal of her career.

*Larson's goal from the spot was Penn's first penalty of the season.

*Friday night snapped the five-game streak of not allowing multiple goals in a game. The goal in the ninth minute also erased the three-game shutout streak.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Pride came energized, raring to go and jumped on the front foot immediately. The Quakers weren't really able to get their sea legs under them before Hofstra surged ahead in the ninth minute, striking a ball into the top corner.

After the first goal, though, Penn seemed to settle down and into the match. That's when, in the 23rd minute, against the run of play, a Hofstra attacker somehow won the ball fairly on the end line and beat Kitty Qu in a chaotic sequence of events to double the advantage.

The two goals didn't kill the Quakers, however, as they weathered the storm and rose back up from the canvas. Right back Jadyn Wilensky played a major, positive role in the first half, elevating the level of play for the home squad. She made countless runs down the right channel and seemed to clog up any attack the Pride could muster down her side of the field, while winning a tremendous amount of tackles.

After the halftime team talk, Penn began to wrestle the control of the game away from the Pride. The Red and Blue were knocking on the door just after the break and finally, in the 57th minute, they broke through. Katharine Larson beat her defender and dribblled into the box before being run into, drawing the penalty. After a brief stoppage due to an injury, Larson finished the job and cut the Pride's lead in half.

It felt like an equalizer was going to follow. In the 62nd minute, Wilensky whipped a ball into the mixer, Larson received it, took a touch to her right and let loose on a shot directed toward the near post. Hofstra's keeper made a brilliant reaction save to force a corner.

The golden opportunity they were looking for never came and the Quakers suffered its first loss in six matches to Hofstra, who reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

UP NEXT
Penn must rebound quickly as the Quakers host Temple on Sunday night at Rhodes Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

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