Ivy leader W. Soccer looking for notoriety

"It'll take focus and an overall intense effort for 180 minutes," co-captain Tina Cooper said in describing one of the most pivotal weekends in Penn women's soccer history. At stake: a chance at the Ivy League title. Yet the Quakers say that's not all they're looking for. "We're not getting nearly enough recognition as we should," Quakers midfielder Kelli Toland said. "We believe in ourselves but not everyone believes in us," Possible non-believers include the Ivy League office, based in Princeton, N.J. Despite the Quakers' current hold on the top position in the conference, no Penn player has been named for Ivy Rookie or Player of the Week honors in the last four weeks. That could change if Penn (7-3, 2-0 Ivy League) does its part in the span of two games in three days. One benefit coming into the road trip has been the layoff since last week's win over Lehigh. "We came back from our two days off with really great practices Monday and Tuesday," Cooper said. "The rest proved to be very good, and we're really prepared for the weekend." Being ready will be key against today's opponent. Harvard (6-3-2, 2-1) is the defending Ivy League champion. However, they had their 22-game unbeaten streak ended this season with a 3-2 overtime loss at Yale and now are intent on reclaiming the top spot in the standings. "Certainly it was disappointing, but Yale's a great team," Harvard coach Tim Wheaton said. "I think we felt like we had something to prove after that loss." Harvard has managed to go through the year without All-American Emily Stauffer, out for the year while she donates bone marrow cells to help her brother, suffering from leukemia. "The impact on the team with her loss was a motivating factor," Wheaton said. "We certainly miss her and we're a stronger team with her playing, but the players felt they had to pick up the slack a little bit." One thing which remains to be seen is how seriously the Crimson will take Penn. As far as Penn coach Patrick Baker is concerned, he's not sure that Harvard knows what to expect. "The first thing Tim Wheaton asked after their win on Sunday against Cornell was not congratulations to the Cornell coach but 'Is Penn really that good'?" Baker said. "If you have to ask that question, then there's a little bit of doubt." If so, Wheaton is not showing it. "I think they're a very strong team. From everything I've heard about them, they're a team with very talented players who play in a very organized fashion and have a couple of individuals who are able to step up and create some great scoring chances," Wheaton said. "We're looking forward to one of our toughest games of the year." Game two of the trip on Sunday takes Penn to Columbia (4-4, 1-2 Ivy), an opponent against which the Quakers have had success. However, the effects from a long trip from what should be a tough match at Cambridge cannot be predicted. "Columbia's the one team that scares us more than any because our group mentally is probably saying 'Harvard is a big game and if we get by them, hey we've always beaten Columbia'," Baker said. "It's not the case. Last year was an overtime win which for us was very difficult."