PHILADELPHIA, PA. 4/26/2015 – A goal with 2:46 remaining in the game by Penn senior attack Tory Bensen broke a tie and lifted the University of Pennsylvania women’s lacrosse team to a 10 – 9 victory over Cornell. With the victory Penn will get the second seed in the upcoming Ivy League Tournament on Friday where they will face the Big Red of Cornell, again. Penn’s post-season fate rests on how well they play at the tournament being played at Princeton.
“We can’t leave this in the hands of the committee,” said Penn Coach Karin Corbett about the importance of winning. “We won’t be in the NCAA Tournament if we don’t win on the weekend, and definitely not if we don’t win on Friday. We’ve got to play our best on Friday and keep in mind our goal. This is a team that can go far in the NCAA’s, but we’ve got to get that chance. The only way we can is to show up this weekend and take it home.”
The game-winner came after a caused turnover by senior defenders Meg Markham and Taylor Foussadier. The ensuing possession resulted in the goal by Bensen.
“That goal was a product of great ball movement,” said Bensen. “We worked it and it was a full seven man effort to get that goal.”
The Red and Blue showed resiliency as they fell behind early. Once the Quakers got the draw controls and ground balls, the offense came to life. Behind five consecutive goals Penn took a 6 – 3 lead, three of the goals were scored by junior attack Catherine Dickinson in that span. Cornell did not go away and fought back to get to within 6 – 5 at halftime.
The Big Red tied the game at 6 on a goal by Aime Dickson, who scored 4 in the game. Penn reclaimed the lead on a goal by Dickinson, one of four for the junior, then added another by Bensen to take a two-goal advantage with 17:16 on the clock. Cornell tied the game at 9 with 6:10 to play on a goal by Sarah Hefner. Penn would get the important next goal. Resiliency was the key.
“We are that kind of team that knows the game is sixty minutes,” Corbett said. “In our three losses we fought all the time. They’re not a team that is going to give up. They wanted to win their last game together on this field. That was important for the ten seniors. It was an emotional game that we needed to win.”
Bensen had three goals giving the senior a team-best 46 for the season. Bensen leads the team in points with 50.
It was Senior Day for Penn as ten members of the team played their last game at Franklin Field. Senior midfielder Lindsey Smith scored the ninth goal for Penn. Bensen made the day even more memorable by scoring the winning goal.
“Playing at Franklin Field for the last time is emotional.” Bensen said. “We are so lucky to play in a stadium like this and a school like this. We feel lucky to come out with this win.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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