Injuries, not Elis, worry W. Soccer

The banged-up Quakers travel to New Haven, Conn., for a key Ivy League game. The ability to overcome adversity of any kind is what separates the excellent teams from the average squads. This weekend, in New Haven, Conn., the Penn women's soccer team faces its biggest challenge yet. And it's not Yale. The Quakers (10-4, 4-1 Ivy League) must deal with the largest number of injuries to beset them so far this season. Penn goalkeeper Anne Kluetmeier is out for this weekend's contest, having sustained her second concussion in 10 days during Penn's 1-0 win at Delaware on Tuesday. In addition, forward Jill Callaghan is not expected to start, but will be in the lineup, still suffering from a sore shoulder in the 2-1 overtime win at Columbia nearly two weeks ago. Quakers sweeper Deane Kocivar-Norbury trained sparingly yesterday after being injured in the same game as Kluetmeier. Finally, add defender Jenny Danielson, out sick yesterday, as well as forward and co-captain Tina Cooper, suffering from a stomach virus. The result is a team that will need to count on less personnel to succeed in a game it must win to have any shot at the Ivy League title and the automatic NCAA tournament berth that comes along with it. Panic time? Not yet. "One of the reasons that we have used a lot of players this year is not only to get people experience but to prepare them for this type of situation where we've got some people injured or banged up, which is going to happen," Penn coach Patrick Baker said. The biggest change will be in goal, where sophomore Amy Jodoin will make her first start of the season against the Elis (9-5-1, 3-2). However, inexperience is not a factor, as Jodoin was the starter for the majority of last season. Also, midfielder Kelly Stevens will see time up front at forward, a position she played over her last two seasons. As if lineup changes were not enough, field and climate conditions may come into play at game time tomorrow. "It's Senior Day at Yale, and the weather is going to be nasty," Baker said. "I'm sure it's going to be ugly with the rain that's forecasted, and us playing on a big field as opposed to a small field early this week." Last year, Yale ruined Penn's Homecoming weekend with a 2-1 victory. All three goals were scored in the first half, with Yale's goals coming off of defensive lapses by the Quakers. Despite being outshot by Delaware on Tuesday, the Penn coach is not concerned about his team's defense. "Our group showed great character in holding on against the wind (at Delaware)," Baker said. "Yeah, it wasn't pretty, but when you're in that kind of environment, it's not going to be." As for the upcoming opponent, the Elis that pulled off a 3-2 overtime win over Harvard are the same Yale team that was shutout 2-0 by Princeton, and 4-0 by Dartmouth. Despite not knowing whether the Elis will show up as Jekyll or Hyde, the Quakers remain focused on maintaining the level of production that has brought them to the 10-win mark. "Our strength this year is that we've been consistent and we've almost averaged two goals a game against Ivy League foes," Baker said. "If we score two goals against Yale, I like our chances."