Disappointing season continues for W. Soccer

No. 17 Crimson puts Penn awayNo. 17 Crimson puts Penn awaywith three goals before halftime The Penn women's soccer team's disappointing season added another chapter yesterday, as undefeated Harvard blanked Penn, 5-0, in a game that may have been even more lopsided than the five-goal differential indicated. From the start, the Crimson showed all of the initiative, but were soon met head on by the Quakers (2-5-1, 0-2 Ivy League). The surge did not keep Penn in the game for long. Harvard midfielder Emily Stauffer, the 1995 Ivy League Player of the Year, turned a scramble for the ball in the box in the seventh minute into the Crimson's first goal of the game, the only one they would need. From that point on, Harvard (6-0, 3-0) dictated the flow of the game. With a deflected header by Brynne Zucarro assisted by Dana Tenser at 23rd minute of the game, the Crimson took a 2-0 lead. In the 34th minute of action, Stauffer added her second goal of the contest with a high volley that whizzed by the hands of Penn keeper Amy Jodoin, sending Harvard into halftime with a commanding 3-0 lead. "Anytime you get a couple-goal lead, you can relax a little bit," Harvard coach Tim Wheaton said. "We were trying to establish the control of the game, keeping the ball and playing our style." The anti-climactic second half showed little initiative on either side. The wind had definitely been knocked out of the Quakers' sails as the lack of opportunity led to frustration and disgust. In the second half, Penn midfielder Lindsey Carson was charged with a yellow card after knocking down one of the Harvard players that was dribbling the ball around her. The Crimson's domination continued with two second-half goals, one by 1995 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Naomi Miller and the other as a result of a penalty kick from Beth Zotter. "The real solid plays we stopped," Penn forward Yuka Morita said. "The little bouncers, the miss-hit, miss-kicked balls and things like that, they got. They were not solid, great goals, but then again you don't need great goals to win a game." Harvard, it seemed, could do no wrong. The Crimson were making effective crosses and limiting Penn's touches on the ball. They showed good control and effective playmaking as the Quakers were only able to get one shot off from inside the box. Penn relied heavily on the play of Jodoin in the net and the help of the crossbar, deflecting a half-dozen shots. "Trust me, if we have anyone else in there besides Amy, the score is more than 5-0," Penn coach Patrick Baker said. Harvard's perfect record remains intact and its No. 17 national ranking should hold up or improve. The game extends the Crimson's undefeated Ivy streak to 17 games, and, more importantly, it keeps them in the race for back-to-back Ivy championships.

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