HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team took its first loss of the 2021 season on Sunday, falling to No. 25 Hofstra 3-1.
 
Wearing its road blues for the first time this season—the Quakers wore their home whites for the season opener at city rival Temple—Penn (2-1-1) was level at the break, but the Pride scored early in the second half and then tacked on a third just before the final whistle to get the victory.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Sophomore Madison Liebman scored Penn's first goal, her first collegiate points.
 
*Senior Mia Shenk and freshman Isobel Glass also put shots on goal. In total, seven different Penn players were credited with shot attempts in Sunday's match
 
*Sophomore goalkeeper Laurence Gladu had six saves in a match where Hofstra outshot Penn, 17-7.
 
How It Happened
Hofstra was buzzing early on, and that paid off in the 26th minute when Lucy Shepherd flew down the right wing and fired a cross into the box. Georgia Brown towered over her Penn defender and headed the ball out of the reach of Quakers goalkeeper Laurence Gladu and into the upper left corner from about 10 yards out.
 
Penn got its legs under it, though, and started pressing the play after falling behind. The Quakers finally broke through just before the break, when a corner kick from the right side pinged around in the Hofstra box before it popped out to Madison Liebman near the penalty spot. The sophomore one-timed a left-footed shot that hammered into the upper right corner, and the teams went to the break level at 1-1.
 
Ginger Fontenot helped keep Penn level early in the second half, heading a ball off the line during a Pride corner kick, but shortly after that Hofstra's Ellen Halseth put the hosts back in front with a superb individual effort. Starting on the left sideline, Halseth charged into the box and pushed a shot that went past a diving Gladu's left and inside the far post.
 
Miri Taylor killed the game off in the 86th minute. Off a long throw-in from the left side, the ball bounced into the front of the goal and the Pride senior one-timed a volley over Gladu's head and under the bar.
 
Up Next
Penn is back in action two times again next weekend, traveling to the University of Maryland on Thursday night (7 p.m. kickoff) before hosting George Washington University at Rhodes Field on Sunday at 4 p.m.