Despite a strong performance on an unseasonably warm Senior Day, the women's soccer team fell 1-0 to the Penn Quakers Saturday.
A surprising breakaway goal in the 80th minute by Penn forward Marin McDermott gave the Quakers the only tally of the match, and silenced a Stevenson Field crowd expecting late-game heroics from the Brown squad (5-8-1, 2-4-0 Ivy League).
McDermott's goal came after she found herself unmarked on the right side of the field. Goalie Steffi Yellin '10 was forced to come off her line, and McDermott maneuvered around her and then tapped the ball into the empty net.
Penn (9-4-2, 3-3-0) scored the goal while suffering an offensive onslaught by the Bears, who outshot the visitors 11-4 in the second half and 16-8 overall. The Bears spent the majority of the second half in possession of the ball near the Penn goal, but could not deliver the needed blow.
Bruno's best second-half scoring opportunity came in the 65th minute, as midfielder Gina Walker '11 got free between two defenders in the Penn box. She dribbled through the opposition, and sent a strike towards the goal. But her shot went just wide, and she was relegated to covering her head in disbelief after the near miss.
Bruno played a solid first half as well. Following a pre-game ceremony honoring the team's octet of seniors — Yellin, Brenna Hogue '10, Bridget Ballard '10, Melissa Kim '10, Kellie Slater '10, Paige Reidy '10, Meghan Robinson '10 and Kiki Manners '10 — the Brown squad got off to a good start in front of the many family members and friends on hand for the game.
Manners, a forward, made her first appearance and start of the season after having been out with an injury all season. She made an instant contribution on the field, forcing a Brown corner kick in the initial minutes before being substituted for.
The Bears got very close to notching a goal in the 25th minute, with two consecutive opportunities by key senior players. Ballard's initial header off a corner kick was blocked off the line by a Penn defender. Seconds later, another header by Robinson sailed just over the crossbar of the Penn goal, and was met by groans from Bruno supporters hoping for a score.
The disappointing loss dropped Brown to seventh in the Ivy League standings. The Bears close out their season next Saturday in New Haven, Conn., where they will face the Yale Bulldogs, who are currently second on the Ivy League table.
ADVERTISEMENT
