Women's Soccer Topples Streaking Penn, 1-0

Playing on the road against a young but talented Penn squad, the Harvard women’s soccer team entered Saturday’s game hoping to notch a win in its Ivy League opener. The Crimson came into the matchup on a three-game win streak, while the Quakers had even more momentum thanks to a five-game unbeaten run.

Something had to give, and after a hard-fought game in which both sides had their chances, Harvard (6-3-0, 1-0-0 Ivy) triumphed over Penn (4-2-1, 0-1-0) by a narrow final margin of 1-0.

Senior forward Midge Purce scored the only goal of the match in the 29th minute from the penalty spot after a Quakers foul in the box during a corner kick. It was Purce’s eighth tally of the season and 38th of her career, moving her into sole possession of third place on the all-time school scoring list.

Penn suffered just its second Ivy League loss at home since 2010. Over that 20-game span, its only other loss also came at the hands of the Crimson, back in the 2014 campaign. This season, the Quakers had only dropped one game before facing Harvard—against Maryland in late August.

“The Ivy League brings with it a lot of energy and emotion,” Crimson coach Chris Hamblin said. “[Penn is] a pretty good team at home, and for us to get that result means an awful lot. I’m really proud of the team effort.”

Harvard certainly showed its energy to start the contest, creating several good scoring chances in the first half. The team put shots on frame in the 18th, 25th, and 27th minutes, but each time Penn freshman goalkeeper Kitty Qu stymied the effort. Despite not capitalizing on these opportunities, the Crimson had the upper hand throughout the first few phases of the match.

The pressure finally produced results after Harvard earned two corners in three minutes midway through the first half. Between the two set pieces, the visitors also challenged Qu with a dangerous ball into the box. However, sophomore midfielder Zayne Matulis could only direct it right at Qu, forcing a save.

It was during the scramble following the second corner, as the Quakers continued to try to control the Crimson’s attack, that the referee handed Harvard a clear-cut chance with a penalty kick. Purce put it away to Qu’s left, boosting her team to a 1-0 lead.

“Although it would have been great to put another one in for a small cushion, I’m really happy with the way we created those chances,” Hamblin said. “Although we were unable to take them, we put ourselves in good positions.”

On the other side of the field, the Crimson’s veteran defense absorbed Penn’s physical attack well, matching its aggressive play and allowing just three shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Lizzie Durack directed the defense and earned the shutout, the 11th of her career and second of the year.

“They were a very athletic team, a very dynamic team,” Durack said. “To hold them off for the whole game is a credit to our strength and the quality of our defending.”

Harvard’s offense deserved just as much credit as the defense for shutting out the Quakers, as it kept the Quakers under pressure and didn’t give them space or time to operate. The team as a whole moved effectively to negate scoring chances before they materialized.

“We wanted to make sure that we were being smart about our positioning and keeping our team shape such that we didn’t allow any individuals to expose us,” Hamblin said. “But we’ve got to continue to work on creating those attacking opportunities and taking advantage of them.”

Even so—even if the Crimson does have to capitalize on more of its chances to win future games—Purce’s one goal off the penalty was enough to seal the victory on Saturday.

“Penn is a good team,” Durack said. “Coming off a win against a good team is very confidence-building.”