It's safe to say that Sunday's win didn't go the way men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller had planned.
Penn generally likes to nip a goal early and hold off its opponent's charge late on. In fact, the Quakers haven't trailed for a second in any of their wins.
Quality finishing has been a means to that end as Penn's forwards have generally been more opportunistic than their counterparts. And in four competitive wins prior to Sunday (against Hartwick, Duquesne, Harvard and Cornell), Penn was outshot three times.
The Duquesne game was a perfect example. With a one-goal lead, the team withstood the Dukes' charge for the entire second half and was outshot 7-2 on the day.
There wasn't a fruitful first half for Penn on Sunday, though; Columbia's physical play knocked the Quakers off their game. After 45 minutes, Penn didn't look close to getting that goal.
"We were very disappointed in our first half," Fuller said. "The guys were upset at themselves, and they came out in the second half and set it straight."
But when Penn did grasp control, the strikers' usually reliable finishing deserted them. As the game's final moments ticked away, Penn squandered chance after chance. Eight corner kicks and numerous free kicks sent the Quakers frustratingly close, but they just couldn't find the winner.
Yet, to its credit, Penn kept composed. Fuller said Penn didn't panic, even as the overtime wound down.
"We just wanted them to stay persistent and just continue hunting for that goal," he said.
It looked like the best chance had eluded them when sophomore Mike Klein's close-range effort slammed against the outside of the net. But even after that, he wasn't fazed.
"We tried to stay confident and keep our heads up the whole time even when we missed one," Klein said. "You just have to think you'll make the next one."
Klein didn't, but his classmate Kevin Unger did. Appropriately, it was a poorly-hit shot that just trickled into the net. But as the Quakers mobbed Unger on the sideline, their relief wasn't tempered by poor shooting.
Unger says his teammates were happy simply to win and stay on top of the Ivy League.
"I [thought], 'This is going to be a draw - this is not what we came here for,'" he said. "But we got the chance, and we put it away."
If Penn wants to win the Ivies, these unfortunate patches can't recur in October. The next three Ancient Eight games will be against the league's co-champions. So it was vital to wring maximum points from a home match against beatable opposition.
"We're the only Ivy League team [with a perfect record] right now," Unger said. "So it's intimidating for Dartmouth next week."
With any luck for the Quakers, their goal-scoring will be as well.
