#2 Soccer teams go opposite directions over break

Women stay in Philly to meet scoreless Drexel The Penn women's soccer team can probably feel for the Drexel program. Only four years ago, the Quakers suffered through their inaugural season at the varsity level. The Lady Dragons have suffered, to say the least, in their first year of varsity soccer. If the Quakers are going to go into any game this year as clear-cut favorites, today's game against Drexel at 4 p.m. will be the one. Penn (2-7) is coming off its best showing of the year, a 4-0 drubbing of Columbia -- the same Lion team that murdered Drexel 8-0. Not only does Drexel (0-8) lack any sort of offensive attack, but it also is on an infamous record pace. The Lady Dragons have not scored a goal this year. Not one. But the Quakers are the last team that would come into today's game overconfident . They, too, know their 2-7 record is no exemplary mark. However, as of late, they have started to come on. "We're just keeping up the work," Penn sophomore Anne Davies said. "It started with Harvard and we're keeping up the momentum. It's finally working." Freshman goalkeeper Perry Cohen turned in her finest performance of the year Wednesday against Columbia and she seems to be recovering from various nagging injuries, including a broken arm. Cohen now has given up only one goal in her last two games. Ever since coach Patrick Baker has decided on a set lineup, the Quakers have started to gel -- especially the leading scorers, freshman Darah Ross and sophomore Yuka Morita. Since there are so many first- and second-year players on the team, it has taken a while for Penn to show good chemistry, but Baker believes his team is starting to come around. "It's one of those situations where it's a new coach. Darah is not real comfortable with Yuka. Yuka is used to doing her own thing," Baker said. "I don't want to say we are peaking, but we are starting to hit some cylinders." Penn is not looking past Drexel, but with the added excitement of their first Ivy win of the year, the Quakers are hungry for more Ivy play. If they are able to improve at all from Wednesday's game, some people may start to turn their heads around the Ivy League. But it all starts today.