In a packed pink-out game on Stevenson-Pincince Field on Saturday night, the women’s soccer team (8-2-2, 2-1 Ivy) dominated Penn (4-3-3, 2-1 Ivy), securing a 4-0 victory — the team’s second Ivy League win of the season.
Following the victory, the team is now tied with Harvard for second place in Ivy League standings, trailing behind Ivy leader Dartmouth by just one point.
“After a tough result last weekend, this was exactly the kind of response we were looking for,” Head Coach Kia McNeill told Brown Athletics, referencing last week’s heartbreaking last-minute loss to Columbia.
But when the bright lights flashed to life on Saturday night, the team rose to the occasion, dazzling the audience with spectacular play from kickoff to the final whistle.
“The team was dialed in from the first whistle to the last, which was great to put together a 90-minute performance,” McNeill said.
Headlined by star players Joy Okonye ’27 and Naya Cardoza ’26 — who lead the team in goals and points on the season with 6 goals each — the offense took Penn for a ride. In the first 24 minutes of play, the relentless Bruno offense recorded 9 shots.
By the 25th minute, the Bears’ onslaught was too much for the Quakers to contend with. Attacking the box from the left side, Kyra Treanor ’28 crossed a ball into the box, finding Corine Gregory ’27 perfectly in stride, who powerfully finished the play past the Penn goalie.
“We executed the game plan really well, especially in terms of our defensive shape and areas to exploit in the attack,” McNeill said. “If we can maintain this standard moving forward, we’re going to put ourselves in a very good position.”
Though the Bears did not score again in the first half, they peppered the Quakers’ defense, tallying 13 shots throughout the period. Five impressive saves by the Penn goalkeeper Annabel Austen and some close Bruno misses kept their lead at 1-0, but Brown still dominated on the other side of the field. Bruno’s defense silenced every Penn attack, allowing just 2 total Quaker shots throughout the half.
When play resumed, the Bears picked up right where they left off. Less than 10 minutes into the half, Jael-Marie Guy ’29 heroically stole the ball from the Penn goalie as she was trying to clear it, before juking the goalie and burying the ball into the back of the net.
“Leading up to my goal, I made sure to have an aggressive mindset and hunt the ball whenever the opportunity presented itself,” Guy wrote in an email to The Herald. “I was grateful to be in that moment hugging my team on our home field with my family and friends watching in the stands. There is really no better feeling.”
Just a minute after Guy’s goal, Okonye stepped up to take a penalty shot after Audrey Lam ’27 drew a foul inside the box. With the poise characteristic of a 2024 All-Ivy midfielder, Okonye beautifully finished the shot into the top right corner past the diving Penn goalie
Brown continued to command the game as the clock wound down, outshooting the Quakers 20-5 on the night with a whopping 10 shots on goal. And even though the opposition couldn’t mount any attacks of their own, Bruno’s offense kept applying pressure.
The Bears tallied their final goal of the game with just three minutes remaining. Ella Weil ’28 laid the ball to a wide-open Angelina Vargas ’27 at the top of the box, who then sailed a gorgeous ball into the left net past the helpless Penn goalie. When the final whistle blew only minutes later, the Bears emerged victorious, towering over the Quakers with a 4-goal lead.
“With the big win over Penn, the mindset is for us to maintain this standard … especially knowing everyone in the league wants to beat us,” Okonye wrote in an email to The Herald.
The team looks to claim first in the Ivy standings in the team’s next matchup against current conference leader Dartmouth this Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
“Moving forward, Brown Women’s Soccer is looking to maintain our standard of focus, hard work and consistent improvement on our strengths and weaknesses,” Guy wrote. “Overall, we want to make a statement to the Ivy League by showcasing our talent and bringing home another ring.”
