PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team continued its unbeaten run to start the 2021 season on Thursday night, defeating the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) 3-0 at Rhodes Field.
Penn's first two goals came well before halftime, and facing an opponent that has yet to score across four matches so far this season the Quakers were able to cruise to the victory. More importantly, head coach
Casey Brown was able to get lots of players some minutes on Thursday night and rest some of her regulars ahead of Sunday afternoon's big match at No. 25 Hofstra.
Quaker Notemeal
*For the first time this season, Penn scored the first goal of the match.
*Senior
Jackie Bruder scored Penn's first goal on Thursday, the third of her career and her first since she scored in the 2019 season opener at Stanford.
*Senior
Mia Shenk had Penn's second goal, her second in as many matches and second this season. She matched her best for a season, as she had two in 2019 as a sophomore.
*Sophomore
Lauren Teuschl assisted Shenk's goal, her second helper of the season, before tallying her second in as many games late. She leads the team with six points this season (2g, 2a).
*Freshman
Janae Stewart assisted Bruder's goal for her first collegiate point.
*Sophomore
Laurence Gladu had four routine saves in posting her first clean sheet at Penn.
How It Happened
Penn had fallen behind in each of its first two matches, but that trend ended early Thursday night at Rhodes Field as the Quakers took the lead in the 17th minute. From the left side of the box,
Janae Stewart had her back to the end line but fired a right-footed cross in front that
Jackie Bruder one-timed over Flames goalkeeper Lena Kurz.
Penn had an excellent chance to double its lead in the 35th minute when junior
Sizzy Lawton got deep into the UIC defense and fired a shot that Kurz parried wide. A corner kick from that sequence, however, brought the Red and Blue their second goal as
Lauren Teuschl's cross was headed by senior
Mia Shenk at the far post and snuck inside the woodwork.
Emily Pringle nearly put Penn up 3-0 just before the break, surprising Kurz with an effort from about 35 yards out that the UIC keeper was able to push over the bar at the last second. However, it remained a two-goal game as the teams went to the locker rooms.
The second half saw Penn stay in control of the match, and Teuschl punctuated the win in the final 10 minutes when she blocked a UIC clearance, stayed with the ball and toe-poked it from almost exactly the penalty spot past Kurz' left side and inside the post.
At the other end,
Laurence Gladu was seldom challenged on Thursday night thanks to a stout defensive effort in front of her.
#FightOnPenn
