March 18, 2006

Box Score |  Photo Gallery

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Chelsea Kocis' goal with seven seconds left in overtime lifted No. 17 Penn to a 9-8 win over Yale Saturday afternoon at Johnson Field. The goal negated a furious comeback by Yale, as the Bulldogs scored six of the final seven goals in regulation to force the extra period.

The game was the Ivy League opener for both teams. Penn's Chrissy Muller started the scoring two minutes in, but Taylor Fragapane answered for Yale two minutes after that.

Penn goalkeeper Sarah Waxman stopped two free position shots by Lauren Taylor in a span of four minutes, and the Quakers (5-2, 1-0 Ivy) grabbed a 3-1 lead on another goal by Muller and one by Melissa Lehman.

That forced a Yale timeout with 9:51 left in the first half. The Quakers added two more goals before Lara Melniker interrupted the string by connecting on a free position shot. Rachel Manson tacked on one more for Penn heading into halftime for a 6-2 lead.

Karrie Moore came in for Waxman and the Quakers got the first goal of the second half, but the Bulldogs soon reversed the tide. One key was a turnaround in draw controls, which Penn dominated in the first half (7-2). The Bulldogs (3-3, 0-1 Ivy) moved Sara Greenberg to center and had a 5-4 edge in the second half.

"Whichever team controls the ball has a huge advantage," said Amanda O'Leary, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "Sara did a great job at center, and we needed that."

Kat Peetz' free position goal was followed shortly by a Taylor-to-Jenn Warden connection for another tally, making the score 7-4 and forcing a Penn timeout with 16:31 to play.

Another Muller goal got Penn's lead to 8-4, but Taylor scored on a free position shot with 12:21 remaining.

The Bulldogs then sent Ellen Cameron in for Lonnie Sarnell in goal. Moore came up big at the other end of the field with a save on Fragapane, but a turnover enabled Peetz to feed Linden Ellis for a goal that pulled Yale within two.

That was the first career goal for Ellis, one of several rookies to see significant action for the Bulldogs.

"We had five freshmen on the field at times, and I thought they all did a great job," said O'Leary. "That was exciting."

The Quakers called another timeout, but Taylor bounced one past Moore with 6:32 to play. After a caused turnover by Warden, Peetz fed Taylor for the game-tying goal with 4:52 left.

Penn put Waxman back in and the Quakers went on the offensive. Yellow cards sent Warden and Marya Myers to the sideline for most of the final four and a half minutes of regulation, but Cameron made a spectacular stop on Rachel Manson to preserve the tie.

"Ellen made some point-blank saves, and that got our defense fired up," said O'Leary. "I thought both of our goalies did a good job."

Waxman denied Fragapane with 30 seconds left and the teams headed into overtime - the third time in six games for the Bulldogs.

Cameron made a save on Allison Ambrozy in the first half of overtime, and Taylor sent one just wide right before the break. The second half of overtime hinged on turnovers - one by Penn, followed by one for Yale that gave the Quakers a chance to play for the last shot. They did so to perfection, as Muller fed Kocis for the game-winner with 7.4 seconds on the clock.

"We just can't let ourselves get that far behind," said O'Leary. "We need to play a full 60-minute game."

Yale returns to action Wednesday (4 p.m.) at No. 6 BU.

report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity