Before Penn women’s soccer opens conference play under the bright lights of Rhodes Field next weekend, it has two away games to iron out the kinks.
They will do so over the weekend when they leave the friendly confines of University City to take on Virginia Commonwealth and Delaware.
The Quakers (2-1-1) will first head to Richmond, Va. on Friday to play VCU (3-3-2), a team that no current players have faced during their Penn careers.
Friday’s match will be a homecoming of sorts for sophomore midfielder Lindsey Sawczuk , a native of Alexandria, Va. She leads the team in points with three, and will be relied upon heavily to provide some offensive spark for the Quakers in her home state.
Two of VCU’s three losses have come from ranked teams, a 6-0 season opener to No. 2 Virginia Tech and a 4-1 loss to Clemson, which was No. 18 at the time.
With the sting of Harvard edging out the Red and Blue for the 2013 Ivy League title all too fresh in the minds of the 18 returners, any potential boost to the team’s RPI may prove to be invaluable in the pursuit of an NCAA bid, and Penn has just five non-conference games left to do so.
On Sunday, Penn will take the short trip to the Delaware to tackle the Blue Hens (3-4).
In its most recent game, Delaware snapped a four-game losing streak with a double-overtime victory off of a heroic last-minute free kick.
The Quakers, on the other hand, will head into the weekend coming off their first loss of the season, a 3-0 losing effort against William and Mary.
As a team once known for its suffocating defense, Penn will be hoping to improve upon their last defensive showing. The defense was solid through most of the match, but eventually broke down under the pressure of William and Mary’s relentless counterattacking offense.
However, trying to replicate the astounding defensive presence of past Penn squads may not be the most productive use of time for the Quakers.
“With all the injuries we have to deal with as well, it’s difficult to compare [this year’s team with last year’s team],” coach Darren Ambrose said after the William and Mary loss.
This weekend, Penn will look to reintegrate some key defensive pieces coming off injuries. Honorable mention All-Ivy sophomore defender Tahirih Nesmith and senior midfielder Kaitlyn Moore were definitely missed in Penn’s only loss this season.
In addition to their skill and dynamism, their experience as veterans will aid in the development of the eight freshmen if Penn debuts a healthy squad over the weekend.
Between youth, injuries and conference play on the horizon, the Quakers have a lot to prove, but they also have the tenacity to do so.
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