The women’s soccer team started off the season with a bang, but for coach Darren Ambrose, the going is only just getting tough.
The Quakers opened their season Friday against the Maryland-Baltimore County with a 3-0 victory, scoring their first goal in the 11th minute to set the offensive tone for the remainder of the match.
With the third goal scored by the 75th minute, Ambrose substituted liberally to give a total of 22 players the chance to play.
Starting goalkeeper Sarah Banks only had to make two routine saves in the time that she played, and second-half keeper Caroline Williams did not have to make any, as the Quakers outshot the Retrievers, 16-4.
Ambrose called his team’s opening-game performance “sharp.”
Penn’s momentum continued against Delaware on Sunday, when the Quakers posted another shutout against the Blue Hens.
The 2-0 victory marked only the second time Penn has opened the season with a pair of shutouts — the first time since 1998. The Quakers again gained control early, as senior forward Ursula Lopez-Palm headed in a feed from sophomore Kerry Scalora only 99 seconds into the game.
The second goal was scored as a result of a defensive slipup, and senior forward Marin McDermott was in perfect position to head in a ball that a Delaware defender was attempting to head away.
Keepers Banks and Williams again combined for the shutout, and only one routine save between the two of them was needed.
Once more, the Quakers outshot their opponents by an 11-3 margin, which indicated, in Ambrose’s words, that the “defense is shaping up well,” and the Quakers are in a good position to start the season.
What impressed Ambrose the most, he said, is how well the team played so early in the season.
“Those teams were a couple of games ahead of us in preparedness and fitness,” he said. “We had a couple of handicaps going into it, but we showed we were ready.”
However, Ambrose feels the greatest tests are yet to come. Starting this weekend, the Quakers will face teams that are “a step up” in competitiveness. He is confident that he has players who can step up as necessary.
In fact, McDermott has already been recognized by the Ivy League for her aggression and intensity in the two opening games, as she was named Ivy League Player of the Week. McDermott was rewarded for the two goals and one assist she scored in the opening two games, putting her at 16 career goals and earning her a spot on Penn’s top-10 list of all-time scorers.
“She deserves all the credit in the world for her performance,” Ambrose said. “But the way we play is very cumulative, and overall this team has numerous players who are capable of performances like that.”
The Red and Blue face Villanova this Friday at PPL Park in Chester, Penn., home of Philadelphia’s Major League Soccer squad, the Philadelphia Union.
Sunday brings a contest against St. Joseph’s, which will be played at Rhodes Field.
“We will be tested this weekend,” Ambrose said. “The intensity will be far greater, and we’ll have to step up our aggression and come prepared.”
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