PHILADELPHIA, PA. 4/18/2015 – The University of Pennsylvania women’s lacrosse team was looking for a bounce-back in after their loss against #13 Princeton on Wednesday. The 11th ranked Quakers do not dwell on losses as the team sports a 23 – 4 record in the regular season after losses with a 13 – 7 win over the Yale Bulldogs at Franklin Field.
“We needed to come out and play well in this game, get that intensity back up, and know that we have a lot of games ahead of us,” said Penn Coach Karin Brower Corbett.
It would not be easy for the Red and Blue early in the game. Yale would keep the pressure on in the initial stages of the game, and held a 2 – 1 lead just over ten minutes into the contest. Penn tied the score at the 15:03 mark on a goal by junior attack Catherine Dickinson. The defense was keeping the Bulldogs form getting further separation.
“We caused a lot of turnovers, and we didn’t get the early draws,” Brower Corbett said. “The caused turnovers were huge because it gave us the ball to go on the attack. Our defense played well.”
Penn would get the lead at the 12:31 mark on an unassisted goal by junior attack Nina Corcoran. It was the result of a miscue by Yale goal keeper Erin Mullins who mistakenly carried the ball back into the crease without making a play resulting in a turnover that gave Corcoran her opportunity.
The offense began to flow for the Quakers after the score. The hosts took a 5 – 3 lead at the intermission, then scored five of the first six goals of the second half to ice the game.
“We created a lot more ball movement.” Brower Corbett said about the second half attack. “It created a lot of opportunities which was great.”
Senior attack Tory Bensen led Penn with three goals giving her a team-leading 43 for the season and 47 points, also a team high. Dickinson scored twice and had an assist. Senior midfielder Lindsey Smith, sophomore attack Sarah Barcia, and junior midfielder Lely DeSimone also tallied two goals apiece for the Red and Blue. Corcoran added 4 assists to give of her a season total of 45 points, and 102 for her career. Corcoran became the 22nd player in program history to reach 100 career points. Junior midfielder Cathryn Avallone led Yale with 3 goals and an assist.
Shannon Mangini scored her first goal for Penn since the 2013 season at the 8:55 mark of the first half. The fifth-year midfielder missed the entire 2014 season with a knee injury.
Penn (20 – 4, 5 – 1) sits in second place in the Ivy League, a game behind Princeton with one game to play. The Tigers are assured of a share of the conference championship. The Quakers host Cornell (9 – 5, 4 – 2), who is in third place in the league, on Sunday, April 26 in the regular season finale. The Red and Blue can be co-champions with a win and a loss by the Orange and Black. Then, it will be time for the Ivy League Tournament.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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