Box Score Box Score
 
PHILADELPHIA – The women's soccer team stood toe-to-toe with Penn on Friday night, but the Quakers were awarded a penalty kick in the 44th minute and led to the lone goal in a 1-0 decision at Rhodes Field. It was just the second loss in the last seven games for Cornell (6-3-1, 1-1 Ivy League).
 
The Big Red played with tremendous pace early in both halves, threatening to break the scoreless deadlock 15 minutes in. Junior defender Kelly Abrams sent a long ball off a free kick into the box where freshman forward Dempsey Banks put her head to it, but the ball bounded just wide of the far post. About 90 seconds later, freshman midfielder Elizabeth Crowell's corner kick from the right side was headed just over the bar by sophomore midfielder Shanay Fischer.
 
Penn (5-1-3, 1-1 Ivy) countered with its own quality chances, but nothing that required anything than routine saves from freshman goalkeeper Kelsey Tierney.
 
The game's biggest moment came with 1 minute, 36 seconds left in the first half. A Penn forward sent a pass from the left side into the box, where the ball bounced up and hit the arm of a Cornell defender. The referee awarded a penalty kick – the first conceded by the Big Red this season – and Kerry Scalora made no mistake with the opporunity, guiding a shot to the keeper's right.
 
The Big Red stormed forward at either end of the second half. To start, freshman defender Taylor Wright made a nice move to get open on a run up the right side, then hit a beautiful cross that require a deft punch-out by Penn keeper Kalijah Terilli. Senior midfielder Rachel Nichols immediately gathered the ball on the left side and set up Banks for a shot from 15 yards, but the ball squibbed wide of the left post with 37:22 to play.
 
Freshman forward Meera Marhoefer put forth great individual effort in the closing moments, winning a ball on the right side before lining a cross in along the end line, but couldn't connect with a teammate as the ball bounded harmlessly through the 6-yard box.
 
After an off day Saturday, the Big Red concludes its road trip at 1 p.m. Sunday at Delaware State in the team's non-league finale.