PRINCETON, N.J. – The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team opened the 2021 slate on Friday at the Ivy League/ACC Conference Crossover, dropping a competitive matchup against No. 5 Louisville, 3-1, at Princeton's Bedford Field.
 
The Quakers held tight against a program that advanced to the NCAA semifinal round last season, with sophomore Allison Kuzyk scoring Penn's lone goal in the second quarter, the first of her collegiate career. The Red and Blue continues its trip to Princeton on Sunday, taking on the reigning national champion, North Carolina, at 11 a.m. The Tar Heels downed the host Tigers, 4-1, in their Friday tilt
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Kuzyk, a forward out of Vancouver, got her first taste of scoring with her first collegiate goal on Friday.
 
*Junior Sydney Huang tallied the assist on the Kuzyk finish, the first of her collegiate career.
 
*In the cage, sophomore Sabien Paumen made her collegiate debut, tending for the full 60 minutes and making six saves.
 
*The Quakers totaled five shots in the game, all by different players: Kuzyk, Maya Geller, Gracyn Banks, Elita Van Staden, and Maddy Fagan.
 
How It Happened
In the first meeting in program history, the Quakers played the Cardinals strong through the full 60 minutes. However, Louisville's explosive offense got on the board first, scoring nine minutes into the first quarter off a corner.
 
In the second frame, the Cardinals extended their lead to two with another corner before Huang and Kuzyk connected on the Quakers' goal. In the 23rd minute, Huang sent a long pass up the left side of the field where Kuzyk collected inside the arc. Faking a first shot and pulling the ball to her left side, the sophomore fired a reverse shot that pushed past the Cardinals keeper into the right side of the cage.
 

2Q | Penn 1, #5 Louisville 2

First collegiate goal for Allison Kuzyk! What a finish from the left side!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/EwfgqVeO1M

— Penn Field Hockey (@PennFieldHockey) September 3, 2021

 
The defense held strong for the second half, but Louisville put away one more goal in the third quarter that pushed its lead back to two. That is how the score remained the rest of the way.