W. Soccer gets first win at LaSalle

If there ever was a time when someone needed to step-up and take control of the Penn's women soccer team, it came yesterday, when La Salle's Christine Gough shot a low roller into an open net 2 minutes, 13 seconds into the second half to give the Explorer's a 1-0 lead. The Quakers suddenly realized they might get sent home with an 0-3 record, and responded. "When they scored, I think that was our wake-up call," coach Patrick Baker said. "I asked them is anybody going to step-up and play?" Luckily for the Quakers, this message resonated. Six minutes later senior forward Yuka Morita dribbled the ball passed to her by midfielder Katie Flood around the goalie and with a flick of the foot lined a shot into the back of the net. "I thought Yukes played exceptionally well today," Baker said. "Yuka was buzzing around up front. She [Yuka] did it in the first half and in the second half as well. "I knew I had to put it away," Morita said. "We had gone down to their level and needed something to start us off. After that everyone picked up their game. Darah [Ross] had a nice goal. We were not playing together and as soon as we got our confidence we started playing the way we are capable of playing." Despite not converting a few fastbreak opportunities she had in the first half, Morita, Penn's second all-time leading scorer, put on her fancy moves for Penn's first goal of the game. Sparked by Morita, Penn's momentum continued to build as Ross, Penn's all-time leading scorer, rocketed an unassisted far post shot that went flying by the goalie, putting the Quakers up 2-1 with 8 minutes, 36 seconds remaining. La Salle's frustration showed when the referee issued one of its top players, senior midfielder Laura Winchester, a yellow card in the final minutes. The next whistle came with 0:00 showing on the clock signalling Penn's first win of the season, leaving them with a 1-2 mark. Although the Quakers won, Penn's performance lacked vigor. "La Salle was in the game more than we were," Baker said. "They were knocking people over, and we were letting them push us around. It was not pretty. By no means am I satisfied with our play, but the result today was what was important." For Yuka Morita, even though she did not start, this game gave light to the great possibilities that await her and the team for the rest of the season. "Yukes needed that for her confidence, being a senior," Baker said. "She is a two-time all-Ivy player that did not even start a game for us last season because of injury and sickness. This was a huge confidence booster for her. Yuka was a happy camper. She is definitely going to get the nod to start on Saturday."

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