Brown holds off W. Soccer in defensive struggle

Brown's Virginia RushingBrown's Virginia Rushingscored the game's only goalBrown's Virginia Rushingscored the game's only goalnear the end of the first half. Despite one of its strongest defensive efforts of the sesaon, the Penn women's soccer team fell short of defeating Brown on Saturday by a single goal. A win by Penn (4-7-2, 1-3 Ivy League) would have been the first time the Quakers have ever defeated the Bears. In addition, it would have given the Quakers their best conference record in the history of the program. Instead, Brown (2-8-3, 1-2-2) earned a 1-0 victory -- the Bears' first league win of the season -- in Providence, R.I., in front of a crowded parents' weekend crowd. But it was not the hostile crowd that flustered the Quakers so much as the Bears' physical defense. According to Penn senior defender Jill Brown, the Quakers were a little nervous at the start of the game, but Penn nevertheless held its own with Brown, matching the Bears in defensive intensity for most of the first half. But with just three minutes remaining in the first half of play, the Bears got a lucky break off a corner kick. After the inbounding kick, the ball bounced around inside the 18-yard line until Bears senior Virginia Rushing was able to get a foot on the ball to score and push it into the net for the game's one and only goal of the game. "We played hard, but we got caught up in their style of play," Brown said. "They got a good chance and took advantage of it." Although Penn came on to the field for the second half looking for a goal to tie up the score, the Quakers weren't able to find the opportunity they needed to put the ball in the net. While Penn pushed for the equalizing score, the Bears continued to play the physical game they know best. "We are obviously disappointed with our finish, but we are not disappointed with our effort," Brown said. "This will put pressure on us to perform better on Saturday [against Yale]." Last year, Penn played the role of spoiler, taking the then-defending Ivy League champion Bears to a 1-1 draw. The tie ensured the Quakers their first-ever non-losing season and knocked Brown out of the hunt for a repeat title. If Brown avenged last year's draw, then the Quakers are surely looking to make up for last year's crushing loss to Yale. Saturday's matchup with the Elis provides the Quakers not only with another chance to surpass last year's Ivy League record of 1-5-1, but also for an opportunity to rectify last year's defeat. Last season, Penn took a five-game unbeaten streak into its clash with Yale and hung with the Elis through the first half of play. But Yale notched two second-half scores to take a 3-1 victory over Penn. The scoring differential was accentuated by a lopsided 23-6 shot advantage for the Elis.