NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse team dropped a close 7-4 defensive battle at #5 Yale on Saturday afternoon.
 
#5 Yale scored five unanswered goals, stretched between the second and third quarters, to take the battle of the undefeated Ivies 7-4, shifting to 5-0 in conference action while Penn fell to 4-1.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*Goalkeeper Orly Sedransk kept the Quakers in the game the whole 60 minutes, stopping 11 of 18 shots faced to record her seventh double-digit save performance of the season.
 
*Catherine Berkery, Patricia Columbia-Walsh, Emma Hrzich, and Regan O'Brien netted Penn's four goals in the battle.
 
*Lellie King and Clare Ruff caused two turnovers each in the defensive battle.
 
How It Happened
The battle of the undefeated Ivies started fairly quietly, with Yale getting the first offensive opportunity of the day, two minutes in off a free position shot that was blocked before it could reach Sedransk. Penn struck first at 9:46 on the clock, with Berkery hitting the back of the net off a feed from Columbia-Walsh. Berkery's goal stirred up both offenses as Kate Gould scored for the Bulldogs and senior Columbia-Walsh for the Quakers, not even two minutes later, to put the game at 2-1.
 
A turnover on the Red and Blue off a clear attempt allowed sophomore Sedransk to step up with 4:48 left of the first, with the keeper robbing Ashley Newman of the equalizer. Right off the save, a card was awarded to Yale, allowing freshman Hrzich to push Penn ahead 3-1 from a free position tally to end the offense in the opening quarter.
 
Momentum shifted in the second quarter as both goalies stepped up. Sedransk and Pfaff combined for ten saves, with Yale scoring the only two goals of the frame to tie the game at three going into halftime. Sedransk was particularly impressive with 9:58 left in the second, stopping Ashley Kiernan and Kelly Homles back-to-back to highlight the period.
 
The Bulldogs continued their goal streak coming out of the break, netting two straight goals in the first few minutes to lead 5-3. Goalkeeper Sedransk continued to hold strong after the pair of goals, tallying three saves, stretching to the 6:44 mark of the third to keep the deficit at two. Unfortunately for the Quakers' keeper, a card on junior Berkery allowed Yale's Nell Ducey to hit the back of her net on an eight-meter shot to push the score to 6-3 to end the offensive opportunities in the third.
 
The Red and Blue were finally able to slash the Bulldogs' run to open the fourth, as O'Brien went top shelf on goalie Pfaff to score Penn's first goal in the battle since the first quarter. Ultimately, both offenses were held off the board for the next 11 minutes of action with Yale's Pfaff stopping a free position shot of Lela Greene while Sedransk added two more to her total, but the Bulldogs were able to add an insurance goal to the board in the final three minutes to take the game 7-4.
 
Up Next
The Quakers (6-6, 4-1 Ivy League) wrap up regular-season road action at Cornell on Saturday, April 18, taking on the Big Red at noon.