PHILADELPHIA – Following almost 59 minutes of scoreless hockey in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon, the Lafayette field hockey team worked an attack penalty corner to perfection late in the fourth to secure a 1-0 win over Penn in its final non-league contest of 2019.
 
In a defensive battle that saw both teams struggle to create scoring chances, the final two minutes is where the game was won for the Maroon and White. Surrendering a Penn corner with 1:40 to play, Lafayette's defensive corner unit thwarted the Quaker effort without allowing a shot through to the cage and immediately pushed in transition, earning an attack penalty corner on the other side with 1:14 on the clock.
 
The winning goal was set up first by the insert of junior Anna Steps onto the stick of senior stopper Cameron Costello. Costello sent it to her right for junior Audrey Sawers, who made a pass back to her left, finding Lisa van der Geest with an open lane for a shot. The senior captain made no mistake with her effort, slotting a well-placed ball into the bottom right corner of the cage for the eventual game-winner.
 
Senior Sarah Park made four saves in her seventh shutout this season to move her and the team's overall record to 11-6 this fall. The seven shutouts are the most for a Lafayette team since 2009 when the Maroon and White went 14-6 with nine clean sheets.
 
The game featured stellar defensive play with just 11 shots combined between the two sides, seven for Penn and four for the Leopards. Each team earned five corners on the day and Lafayette forced the Quakers' Ava Rosati to make three saves.
 
Lafayette now turns its focus to the biggest game of the season on Saturday morning in Washington, D.C. against American, the only other team with a perfect record in Patriot League play this season. The Leopards will vie for a regular-season title and the right to host the Patriot League Tournament when the tilt with the Eagles kicks off at 11 a.m.