After a six-year absence from the NCAA College Cup, what was another half hour of waiting?
Crammed into the men's basketball locker room at the Palestra, the Penn women's soccer team gathered in front of a television to find out its NCAA College Cup matchup and location on ESPNews' selection show at 8 p.m. last night.
Following a restless 30 minutes of sitting through reports on NFL injuries, the NASCAR Cup chase and the baseball "Hot Stove," the Quakers were finally told their tournament fate: they will be traveling to Morgantown, W. Va., for a first-round showdown with the Dukes of James Madison.
"Naturally, we were gonna be nervous [about finding out]," said sophomore Jess Rothenheber, who started perusing an Us Weekly with classmate Jessica Fuccello at about 10 minutes after eight. "We're just happy to be in the tournament."
"I told you that you would get a game you could win," coach Darren Ambrose told his team after the telecast. "And you've got a game that you can win."
When players asked how they would make the lengthy trip on Thursday, Ambrose was quick with a response.
"We're driving," he said. "Bring Dirty Dancing."
Penn, the only Ivy team to earn a bid this year, was among the last teams announced by ESPNews anchor Dari Nowkhah on the selection show. Earlier in the broadcast, the players and coaches shared a collective gasp of surprise when the presentation of the Penn State section of the bracket came and went with no mention of the Quakers.
"When we weren't going to Penn State, I think they all got the hopes that we were going to end up in California somewhere," Ambrose joked.
As the hugs and shrieks began to die down shortly after Penn's name did finally appear, attention turned to who and what, exactly, the Quakers would be up against.
"I don't know a thing about them," team captain Natalie Capuano said. "I'm sure we're gonna get some scouting reports on them, have a meeting about it tomorrow."
"They're a good team, otherwise they wouldn't be in the tournament," Ambrose reasoned.
James Madison - which toppled Penn 1-0 in the first round of the Cup in 1999 - earned one of the 34 at-large bids in the 64-team tournament after going 16-4-1 on the season, including 8-2-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Seeded third in their conference tournament, the Dukes fell to two-seed Hofstra in the semifinals on Friday.
