In a word, the Quakers are feeling confident.
In its last non-conference match tomorrow against Lehigh, the Penn women’s soccer team has one final chance for a tune up before its final two Ivy League games against Brown and Princeton.
“All the work that they’ve done has brought them here to this point,” coach Darren Ambrose said. “They’re in great shape for this. Right now, we’re just looking to be consistent.”
If Ambrose’s team can continue to be consistent, they should have no problems finishing out the season on a high note.
The Quakers (12-2-0, 4-1-0 Ivy) have won seven-straight contests — a program record — and already have 33 goals on the season. They are on pace to earn a spot in the top-5 all-time for goals scored in program history.
In light of the fact that senior Marin McDermott is nearing the end of her career at Penn, she summed up the team’s offensive strategy.
“We just have to leave everything we’ve got out on the field,” she said. “Always push forward, always keep moving.”
Ambrose echoed the sentiment.
“We should be confident, but never complacent,” he said.
Ambrose sees the Lehigh (6-8-2) matchup as a good midweek road test before playing Brown this Saturday. Wednesday marks the 13th meeting between Lehigh and Penn, and the Quakers lead the series, 11-1.
“We have two big games ahead, but we definitely can’t look past Lehigh,” McDermott said. “We need to put the win against Yale and all those emotions behind us, and we need to look forward.”
Sophomore Kathryn Barth — who recently earned Ivy League Player of the Week for her three-goal, nine-point performance against NJIT and Dartmouth — along with honorable-mention teammate Callan Parra, feel the match with the Mountain Hawks is a way for the team to keep its momentum going, to continue building its strengths, and to adjust the places that need improvement.
“We defend so well as a team,” Barth said, “We have 11 shutouts on the season, and that’s because our back is really strong and we all work to defend together.”
The sophomore forward also stressed that the team has been maintaining strong possessions in their last few games, as evidenced by the fact that the Red and Blue are undefeated in October.
Barth quoted an adage of Ambrose: “You have to earn the right to play soccer.”
“I think all our hard work so far shows that we want that right,” she said.
“We are always, always looking to improve in some area,” Ambrose said. “But right now, they have every reason to be confident in themselves.”
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