Penn opens Ivy season with win for first time ever

The Penn women's soccer team pulled out a late 2-1 home victory over the Big Green. The team rushed out onto the field, embracing Darah Ross and Lindsay Carson as the horn blew to end the "biggest win" in coach Patrick Baker's Quakers career. After Ross scored what would turn out to be the winning goal early in the second half, the Quakers (3-1, 1-0 Ivy League) managed to fend off Dartmouth's attacks to defeat the Big Green, 2-1, Saturday afternoon at Rhodes Field. For the first time since Baker's tenure began in 1994, the Quakers defeated an Ivy League team other than Columbia. Emotion was overflowing as the last seconds ticked down. "It was like a bomb exploding in our body," Baker said. The winning goal came only three minutes into the second half. Jill Callaghan dribbled into Dartmouth's defensive third, made a pass against the grain to the charging Ross, who after touching it once, drilled her shot from 20 yards out into the upper right hand corner, out of the reach of Kristin Luckenbill, Dartmouth's freshman goalkeeper. From then on, Penn just had to hold off the Big Green offense. The Quakers' defense, however, would have to play the rest of the game without their starting sweeper, Deane Kocivar-Norbury. Kocivar-Norbury took herself out of the game after the go-ahead goal because of severe dizziness. According to Baker, the sophomore nearly collapsed on the sidelines. Junior Jacky Flood, the Penn's starting stopper, replaced Kocivar-Norbury, and freshman Emily Goodman, who usually plays in the midfield, took over Flood's stopper position. Both played "phenomenally," according to Baker. The Quakers survived several threats from the Dartmouth offense. Two of the Big Green's best opportunities came with 12 and nine minutes left in the game. The first came when Dartmouth (1-2, 1-1) was awarded a free kick from 35 yards out. Penn's five-person wall blocked the shot, and the Quakers were able to breathe a temporary sigh of relief. The second potential threat came three minutes later when sophomore forward Andrea Callaghan was given a controversial yellow card. According to Baker, Andrea Callaghan was the recipient of several bad calls, including the yellow card. The ensuing free kick from 30 yards out was also deflected by Penn's wall. Baker took out the carded Callaghan, because if she received another yellow card, she would be ejected from the game and would have to sit out Wednesday's game against Temple. Dartmouth continued to push to score the equalizer, but to no avail. "I was most worried in the last five minutes because that's when we've been vulnerable in the past," Penn junior forward Kelly Stevens said. Stevens had reason to be anxious. In the two previous games against Dartmouth, Penn had given up five goals in the last 15 minutes. This year, however, was different. "Today we bent, but we didn't break in the last 20 minutes," Baker said. The biggest indicator this year's team is mentally stronger than last year's team is that the Quakers had to come from behind to win. The game did not start the way the Quakers had hoped. Dartmouth caught Penn flat-footed in the first five minutes of the half, according to Carson. The Big Green scored the opening goal off a corner that was headed in by sophomore Katie Roda. The game then settled into the "back and forth" game that Baker had predicted. It was not until freshman Kelli Toland passed the ball to Carson, who chipped the ball over an outstretched Luckenbill with 5:20 left in the first half, that the game was tied. Penn was playing against the wind during the first half, so when Carson tied the game, Baker was confident they would score with the wind at their backs and win the game. It was a day to savor for the Quakers, who have now won five Ivy League games in their history. And for the first time ever, Penn's women's soccer team is 1-0 in the Ivy League. "This is the best Penn team I've ever seen," Dartmouth coach Kelly Blasius-Knudsen said.