PHILADELPHIA – A celebration of eight seniors concluded with the University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse team defeating La Salle on Thursday afternoon on Franklin Field, 16-11, in its first game since March 2020.
 
With all Quakers (1-0) finding time across the board, senior Zoe Belodeau showed out in her final game donning the red and blue with a six-point performance including five goals to reach 100 in her career.
 
Prior to the game, Penn honored the careers of eight seniors: Abby Bosco, Laura Murphy, Laura Crawford, Elyse Decker, Belodeau, Liv Smith, Zoe Kraus, and student manager Beth Finley.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Belodeau opened the scoring and got the hosts on the board two and a half minutes into play as she converted a feed from Kraus with a cross-body shot that found the back of the net.
 
After the Explorers tied the game at one, the Quakers reeled off three straight to take a 4-1 lead. During the surge, freshmen Maria Themelis and Kaitlyn Cumiskey both scored, while Kraus added the other marker for Penn. Kraus had a hand in three of team's first four goals with a goal and three assists.
 

ANOTHER ONE!

Nice passing gives the Quakers a 3-1 lead. #Attitude pic.twitter.com/oWsJNVvBIM

— Penn Women's Lax (@PennWomensLax) April 22, 2021

Midway through the first, the two squads traded goals before Belodeau's second of the day gave the Red and Blue a 7-4 edge with under eight and a half minutes remaining in the frame.
 
Following Belodeau's second goal of the day, La Salle answered with two unanswered to pull within one at 7-6 with under two minutes left in the opening frame.
 
Penn would take a two-goal edge into the break thanks to strike from Taylyn Stadler with under a minute remaining.
 
La Salle scored two of the first three goals of the second half to pull within one at 9-8 with just under 27 minutes remaining.
 
Penn answered with three straight goals as Kraus, Kennon Moon and Belodeau all scored. Belodeau's third of the game capped the spurt as she scored on a free-position shot with 18:10 left in regulation.
 
La Salle kept fighting as the Explorers responded with a three-goal surge of their of their own. During the run, the Quakers saw a goal called back due to an illegal stick. With Penn clinging to a one-goal lead, goalkeeper Krissy Kowalski made a nice save on an Explorer free-position shot.
 
On the ensuing possession, Moon continued her stellar play as she put Penn back up two at 13-11 with 10:17. With the Qaukers playing a man-down, she evaded two Explorers guarding to score an unassisted marker from a tight angle on the right side of the eight-meter fan.
 
Moon's goal started a four-goal spurt for the Quakers to end the game. Penn kept La Salle off the board for the final 13 minutes of action.
 
Down the stretch, Belodeau scored a pair of goals. Her second capped the scoring in the contest and was the 100th of her career.
 

??

ZOE! Belodeau scores the 100th goal of her career!

Penn 16 | La Salle 11#Attitude pic.twitter.com/gYImcdir7e

— Penn Women's Lax (@PennWomensLax) April 22, 2021

NOTES
*Penn scored eight goals in each half, while holding a 33-29 edge over the Explorers in shots for the game.
 
*The Quakers went a perfect 22-for-22 on clears, while defensively held La Salle to 18-for-25.
 
*At the draw, Penn won 17 of the 29 led by a career- and game-high nine by Moon.
 
*Moon and Belodeau each fired off six points in the contest, joining four other Quakers in scoring for the day.
 
*Kraus also impressed with five points on two goals and game-high three assists on her senior day.
 
*Three freshmen earned their first starts in their collegiate careers, Cumiskey, Themelis and Alyson Feeley, as Cumiskey and Themelis combined for three goals in the game.
 
*Kowalski tended the net for the full 60 minutes, making nine saves in her fifth win of her career.