CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – The University of Pennsylvania's women's soccer team fell to No. 25 Harvard on Saturday night in Cambridge, 1-0. After a scoreless first half, the Crimson were able to score late in the second to edge the Quakers in the Ivy League contest.
Penn fell to 5-7-3 and remains winless in conference play at 0-4-2. Harvard, which clinched a spot in the Ivy League Tournament with the win, improved to 9-3-2 overall and 4-1-1 in league play.
Quaker Notemeal
*Penn was outshot by Harvard, 19-1, with the Crimson putting six shots on frame compared to zero by the Quakers.
*Freshman
Abbey Cook had the lone shot for the Quakers, an attempt in the 57th minute.
*Senior goalkeeper
Laurence Gladu made five saves, four of them coming in the second half.
*Penn took three corner kicks while Harvard took seven.
*Five Quakers played all 90 minutes: Gladu,
Avery Chapel,
Maya Leschly,
Ginger Fontenot and
Paige Kenton.
*Head Coach Krissy Turner utilized seven players off the bench including
Taylor Ferraro who played 42 minutes.
How it Happened
Harvard put pressure on the Quakers' defense in the opening minutes but the backline remained strong.
Defense was the main factor for both teams in the beginning of the match, with 12 minutes gone by neither team had registered a shot on goal.
Penn's backline was put to the test once again but the senior leadership of Kenton, Leschly and Fontenot were able to wipe away a first have chance from Harvard.
The Crimson were able to get nine chances in the first half, with the Quakers unable to get a shot off.
With just over one minute remaining in the first half Gladu made a stop inside the 18-yard box to keep the game level before the end of the half.
Harvard opened the second half with more scoring opportunities, but Gladu held strong in between the pipes.
A line drive shot from distance was handled cleanly by Gladu backing consecutive stops within a few minutes.
At the 71st minute another attempt at the near post was stopped by Gladu; who made two of her four second half saves just four minutes apart.
A diving stop by Gladu once again held the game scoreless, who made the snag at the 76-minute mark.
One minute later Josefine Hasbo fired a shot at Gladu, who was able to get her right hand on it, but the shot was able to find its way into the back of the net.
Despite the strong effort defensively, holding a top 25 team scoreless in the first half, Penn fell to the Crimson to remain winless in the conference.
Quotables
"We played a terrific game and I am super proud of our team for the fight they demonstrated in difficult conditions." –
Dr. Krissy Turner, Douglas N. Brush Head Coach of Women's Soccer.
Up Next
Penn will finish out the season at home next Saturday, taking on Cornell at Penn Park with a 2 p.m. kickoff.
For the latest on Penn women's soccer, follow @PennWSoccer on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and on the web at PennAthletics.com.
#FightOnPenn
