Soccer frosh scores an Ivy honor

If the women’s soccer team appears to have a fresh look, it probably stems from the eight new students that have been added to its roster.

After the team graduated five seniors last year — including three all-Ivy selections — the freshmen on the squad have proven to be a strong asset in the first month of the season. Of the seven players who have scored goals for Penn this season, three have been freshmen.

And as the Ivy season unfolds this October, the rookies should provide the scoring touch necessary to be competitive within the conference.

Take, for example, rookie Kerry Scalora. In Penn’s 3-2 loss to Navy, Scalora scored both goals for the Quakers and was named Ivy co-Rookie of the Week with Brown’s Mika Siegelman.

Forward Kathryn Barth — who has appeared in all six games for the Quakers — has also netted two goals and joins Scalora atop the stat sheet with upperclassmen Ursula Lopez-Palm and Erin Beck.

“[Barth] is someone we thought would get time, but she’s exceeded expectations,” said coach Darren Ambrose.

Despite the Class of 2014’s contributions, the transition to collegiate play has hardly been an easy feat.

“There’s a big difference in commitment and the level of intensity of play,” said freshman midfield Christina Hart, who started playing soccer at age four. “[But] our class is really strong.”

Thus far, that increased competitiveness has yet to intimidate Hart and her classmates. The midfielder has been a strong asset for Penn, scoring one goal and providing defensive assistance.

“Hart … wins 90 percent of balls in the air, which is a big part of the game,” Ambrose said.

Her fellow classmates show the same ferocity. Of the team’s 97 total shots, 40 have come from the Class of 2014 — and five of those shots have connected for goals, a shave above the team’s overall shot percentage (.113).

While the offensive output might be most noticeable, Ambrose said the rookies have added depth at every position on the field.

“It’s a great class top to bottom,” he added.

“We bring a lot of versatility to our team,” freshman back Brianna Rano said.

But there is still more that the new Quakers have yet to reveal.

Candice Osei-Agyemang, who is currently recovering from a knee injury, was a member of Ghana’s team at the first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2008.

“We still have a couple of them who have yet to get on the field, and I think long term they represent a bright future for the program,” Ambrose said.

Those freshmen still standing on the sideline may get an opportunity to fine-tune their collegiate soccer skills when the Red and Blue head to Ithaca, N.Y. this weekend to take on Cornell, which finished at the bottom of the Ivy League last year.

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