Penn went on a 4-0 run during the final 11:56 of the contest, with three of those goals scored by senior midfielder Lindsey Cassidy in a four-and-a-half minute span.

“They put heavy, heavy, heavy pressure on us in the midfield that we weren’t able to break through,” said Sproul. “They kept the ball in our end of the field for the last 10 minutes.”

That Penn only managed four goals in that time speaks to the continued strength of freshman goalkeeper Kathryn Tylander, who tallied 13 saves on the day—seven of them in the second half.

“[Tylander] really acts like an adult,” said Sproul. “She has so much poise, so much maturity, and I think it shows on the field. She doesn’t let close games rattle her, but unfortunately we just gave them have too many opportunities.”

The Quakers’ final goal came off a free position shot with 59 seconds left, marking the second game in a row where the officials have played a decisive role late in the game.

Penn had seven free position shots in the second half.

Harvard’s inability to hold leads in the second half has caused it a great deal of concern over the last week, against both BU and the Quakers.

“It’s frustrating,” Sproul said. “We’re so good at getting ahead and coming from behind, and we’re so bad at keeping a lead. It’s jut a position we’re not used to... hopefully we’ll get used to it and start pulling these games out.”

This week Harvard will face New Hampshire (4-5) on the road on Wednesday and Princeton (11-0) at home on Saturday.

—Staff writer Nathaniel A. Smith can be reached at nsmith@fas.harvard.edu.