CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard women's lacrosse (7-4, 2-2 Ivy) upset No. 14 Penn (6-4, 2-1 Ivy), 10-8, in a rainy Ivy League battle at Jordan Field this afternoon.
With just her fourth goal of the season,
Annabel Child provided the decisive goal for the Crimson while
Charley Meier found the back of the net three times to help Harvard record its third ranked victory of the season.
How it Happened
Harvard struck first, setting the tone early as
Charlotte Hodgson connected off an assist from
Caroline Mullahy to get the Crimson on the board just 37 seconds into the game. The Quakers, however, settled in, rattling off the next three goals to take a 3-1 lead. Undeterred by Penn's run, Harvard got back into its offensive groove to even the score at 4-4 after the first 15 minutes.
The Crimson carried its momentum into the second quarter as Meier recorded a pair of goals just 30 seconds apart to put Harvard up 6-4 with 13:51 remaining in the half. Scoring stalled for most of the frame as Penn recorded the only other goal to set the contest at 6-5 heading into the break.
With back-to-back goals from the Quakers' Catherine Berkery, Penn regained a 7-6 advantage seven minutes into the second half. Harvard consistently responded to Penn's leads as Meier connected for a third time and evened the contest at 7-7.
The Quakers struck first in the fourth, taking back the lead at 8-7 one minute into the final quarter. The goal, however, would be the final of the day for the foe as Harvard scored through
Hannah Shiels, Child, and Hodgson would help the Crimson complete the upset. An impressive behind-the-back goal from Child would prove to be the decisive score, giving Harvard a 9-8 lead with 9:46 remaining in the contest.
Harvard Highlights
- Harvard has now defeated three ranked opponents this season, previously dropping No. 15 Navy (11-9) and No. 23 UConn (13-12).
- Charley Meier tied a single game career-high with her three goals this afternoon. The senior previously matched the mark against Holy Cross on March 11.
- Grace Mullahy and Charlotte Hodgson each contributed two goals in the contest.
- Caroline Mullahy, who recently set a new program record for assists, added three more to her career-total this afternoon. The senior also added a goal to total four points in the win.
- In goal, Lizzie Francioli recorded nine crucial saves to help the Crimson snap a three-game skid against the Quakers.
Next Up
The Crimson will continue Ivy League play against the Cornell Big Red on Saturday, April 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET in Ithaca, NY.
