Penn falls to 7th in Ivies with loss to Yale

Northeast power YaleNortheast power Yaletook advantage ofNortheast power Yaletook advantage ofPenn's defensive lapses. and Kendall Watson The Yale women's soccer team, ranked No. 6 in the Northeast, spoiled Penn's homecoming celebration Saturday, defeating the Quakers, 2-1, at Rhodes Field. With both teams jockeying for position in the Ivy League standings, everyone involved knew the importance of the outcome of the game. With the win, the Elis (10-4-1, 3-2-1 Ivy) moved into sole position of third place in the conference, behind nationally ranked Harvard and Dartmouth, and possibly helped their seeding for the ECAC post-season tournament. Penn (4-8-2, 1-4) fell to seventh place in the Ivy League, tied with Cornell. The Red and Blue's game with the Big Red, originally rained out October 19, has been rescheduled for Thursday at Cornell. Both Yale and Penn went into the game trying to play with similar styles of quick precise passes, moving the ball up the field. On Saturday, however, it was the Elis' execution that allowed them to move the ball up the field and capitalize on the Quakers' mistakes. "The difference in the game was when we became unorganized as a defensive group -- not our back four," Penn coach Patrick Baker said. "Once we became disorganized as an 11 and then started to stab, that was the difference. That was when they became effective." Both Yale goals were scored during Penn defensive lapses. This was exemplified as both scores came from just inside the box with four Quakers surrounding one Eli. First it was Yale senior forward Molly Woodruffe who dribbled through a disorganized Penn defense, shooting a low liner past goalie Amy Jodoin in the 20th minute. Fourteen minutes later, with the score tied at 1-1, Elis sophomore Robyn Harris scored with a shot from the middle of the box assisted by senior forward Amy Porter. The Quakers spent the past week in practice working on limiting touches, creating chances and moving the ball around by using short passes. That game plan was put to use in recovering from Yale's first goal, by keeping the ball on offense and on the Elis' half of the field. As a result, just over five minutes after Woodruffe's goal, Penn's Tina Cooper hit a one-timer far post from way outside the box. However, as the first half was coming to a close, the cold weather froze the Quakers, allowing Harris's goal to get through. The second half showed poor organization by both sides. The Elis were able to shutdown the Penn offense, but they were also unable to create very much of their own. "I thought we were pretty even with them," Penn midfielder Darah Ross said. "We had a lot of opportunities. It was a physical game, and they were good technically." Penn did not allow Yale one clear shot in the second half, but, by dribbling the ball into the Elis defenders, the Quakers did not get a good look at the net either. The Quakers kept the second leading scorer in the Ivy League, Yale forward Jill Rubenstein, from putting the ball in the back of the net. Penn forward Kelly Stevens and midfielder Wendy Bass were also able to keep Yale's playmaker, forward Blanka Fromm, well contained all game. For Penn, even though the game did end in a loss, it was the closest it had ever come to defeating the Elis. Yale coach Rudy Meridith, impressed by both teams' performances in the game, looks forward to their matches down the road. "They're a good team," Meridith said. "I have seen progression from them. They have gotten better each year. The games are getting so competitive that this is going to start being a big rivalry in the future." · Regardless of the result of their final three matches, the Quakers are now in the position of finishing the season under .500. Ending with a two-game Ivy League road trip, Penn's final week of the season kicks off today against regional rival Delaware in its final home match at 2 p.m. on Rhodes Field. After two closely contested Ivy losses to Brown and Yale, Patrick Baker's youthful squad of mostly freshmen and sophomores needs to regroup and regain the confidence and form that was on display only weeks ago against Columbia. Looking for some constructive soccer to end the season with a bang, the Quakers hope to raid the henhouse with a win against regionally ranked Delaware. The Blue Hens (9-7-1) are themselves looking for a little respect in the newly formed America East Conference. With a four-year starting goalie in Melissa Kulp and all-time leading Delaware scorer Beth Hatt on the starting roster, Delaware will certainly not be a push-over. For another tough out-of-conference opponent, Penn captains Jill Brown and Heather Herson and the Quakers defense will need to produce a near shutout to help the offense that has yet to find a consistent threat amidst its numerous weapons in the Callaghans, Jackie Flood, Darah Ross, Kelly Stevens and Tina Cooper.

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