W. Soccer falls to Harvard, 6-2

The Penn women's soccer team lived up to expectations Saturday against Harvard. Of course, that is not very satisfying when the expectation is a road defeat. The team's early play matched the dreary, overcast day in Cambridge, Mass., and a later resurgence was little consolation in the 6-2 loss. For Penn (4-4-1, 1-3 Ivy League) it was by far the most lopsided defeat of the season. Harvard (7-1-1, 2-0-1), ranked 23rd in the country, continued its historically perfect record against the Quakers. "It was a nasty start," Penn coach Patrick Baker said. There is no other way to describe a situation in which your team finds itself trailing 5-0 with eight minutes remaining in the first half. The Quakers' defense, which had not allowed more than two goals all year, was victimized three times in the first 15 minutes. "It seemed like they had 13 players on the field?like they had numbers all over," Baker added. The goals came about through all manner of defensive lapses. Missed assignments and over-extended defenders were compounded by bad luck. Shortly after the Quakers had a goal called back by the referee, the Crimson was granted a penalty kick on a call Baker described as "questionable." Harvard's Sara Noonan converted, and if there had been any wind in the Penn sails before, surely there was none now. Or was there? Just two minutes before halftime, senior co-captain Meg Kinney lifted a ball over the Harvard defense, where sophomore forward Darah Ross volleyed in her third score of the year, tying for the team lead. "A lot of people say it's a 90-minute game, but I like to say it's two 45-minute games," Baker said. When the whistle blew on that second game, the Quakers seemed like a new team. With nothing left to lose they pushed forward menacingly. On the day they earned five corner kicks to Harvard's none, usually not a characteristic of a four-goal loser. As the second half opened up, both teams found good scoring opportunities. In the 63rd minute, Penn took one. Freshman Lindsey Carson received a pass from Tina Cooper 25 yards from goal. She chipped the ball over Harvard keeper Meredith Bagley for the second Penn score of the day. Harvard added a sixth goal near the end of the match. It was a match filled with moral victories for Penn. Ross's goal was the first-ever Penn goal against Harvard, a traditional women's power. In addition, neither of Harvard's under-20 international pool players -- Emily Stauffer and Naomi Miller -- scored. Harvard's six goals were the work of five players, with only sophomore forward Karen Gudeman finding the mark more than once. "On the day they were the better team, but they were definitely not four goals better," said Baker. When your opponent is a nationally-ranked offensive juggernaut, that is a recipe for a lopsided loss.