BALTIMORE, Md. – The No. 23 University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse team had a top-25 matchup on Wednesday evening back in Baltimore, falling to No. 8 Loyola (Md.) at Ridley Athletic Complex.
 
The Quakers move to 2-1 for the season, while the Greyhounds shift to 3-0.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Five different Quakers scored in the game, led by senior Niki Miles with three goals. It brings her season total to a team-high nine goals.
 
*The other four goals were scored by Anna Brandt, Erika Chung, Bella Kehoe, and Maria Themelis. Brandt, Chung, and Kehoe have each scored in all three games this season along with Miles.
 
*Penn was awarded one assist for the game, sent out by freshman Patricia Columbia-Walsh. In her first collegiate season, she is tied for the team-lead in points with 10 including a team-high seven assists.
 
*The backline caused nine turnovers for the game, as Izzy Rohr, Sophie Davis, and Grace Fujinaga each had two. Davis led the team in ground balls with three.
 
*The Quakers nearly had a perfect game on clears, going 14-for-16, while the Greyhounds went 16-for-20.
 
*Senior Kelly Van Hoesen tended the net for the full 60 minutes, making six saves and pulling in two ground balls with a caused turnover.
 
How It Happened
A slow start for the Quakers saw all the first-quarter scoring go to the Greyhounds, building a 6-0 lead through the first 15 minutes.
 
However, Penn didn't check out mentally, chipping away at the deficit in the second. A strong backline effort held Loyola scoreless in the frame while the offense found the back of the net three times.
 
Chung put away the first of the game for Penn, using a screen a the 'x' by Columbia-Walsh, curling around the crease for a quick finish past the Greyhound keeper. Over a minute later, Miles connected on her first of three for the evening, dodging a defender and sending a long shot in from eight meters out. The last goal of the half came with three minutes left when Brandt lined up for the free-position shot on a women-up opportunity.

2Q 8:05 | #8 Loyola 6, #23 Penn 2

Starting to feel it! Niki Miles fires one home from eight meters out!#FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/pB3GKSHJan

— Penn Women's Lax (@PennWomensLax) March 1, 2023

 
The Quakers trailed by three at the break, 6-3.
 
Loyola came out firing in the restart, finding the back of the net three times in the first six minutes to push out to a 9-3 advantage, a deficit the Quakers couldn't overcome the rest of the way.
 
Miles and Themelis scored back-to-back goals to halt the Greyhounds' momentum to get as close as four, but Loyola went on another 6-0 stretch to seal up the decision.
 
In the closing three minutes, Kehoe scored and Miles finished off her hat trick.
 
Up Next
The Quakers continue their five-game road trip on Saturday, opening Ivy League play at Columbia. Penn has never dropped a game to the Lions, owning a 24-0 record that dates to 1997. First draw is set for 1 p.m.