W. Soccer gets lessons from national No. 1 North Carolina

Penn played Duke tough, but was overwhelmed by an eight-goal first half against the defending national champion. After winning five games in a row, the high-flying Penn women's soccer team was brought out of the stratosphere and down to terra firma. Penn lost both games against No. 6 Duke and No. 1 North Carolina at the Duke Adidas Women's Soccer Classic in Durham, N.C. The Blue Devils outscored the Quakers 3-1 on Friday night. Less than 24 hours later, the Red and Blue were hammered by the defending national champion Tar Heels, 9-0. The tournament opened with North Carolina (11-0-1) defeating Alabama, 6-0. The victory earned Tar Heels coach Anson Dorrance his 400th career win leading the women's program. Dorrance, 45, is the winningest coach in NCAA soccer history. Penn (6-3) fell behind early against Duke (8-2), giving up two goals in the first 15 minutes. The Quakers recovered, and dominated the last 20 minutes of the first half, according to Penn defender Jacky Flood. Flood scored Penn's lone goal with 15 minutes left in the first half after midfielder Emily Goodman tapped the ball to her on a free kick just outside the box. The Quakers had chances to tie the game before the break, but were not able to convert. Those 15 minutes were the best opportunity for Penn to score again, according to Quakers forward Darah Ross. In the second half, the Quakers were unable to retain the momentum they gained after the goal, and Duke scored eight minutes after the intermission. Freshman Kelli Toland, Penn's starting center midfielder, was named to the all-tournament team. Each team was given at least one position on the all-tournament team. Freshman defender Shannon Porter was also honored, being named Penn's tournament most valuable player. Porter had the duty of guarding North Carolina's Robin Confer, a senior forward who has played on the U.S. national team. Confer and the Tar Heels overwhelmed Penn. The Quakers were unable to keep up with the high-speed play of the nation's top team, according to Flood. All but one of the nine goals were scored in the first half. Nine minutes into the game Tiffany Roberts, a Tar Heels midfielder, scored the first goal, opening the flood gates. The half ended with a flurry of goals. North Carolina scored two goals within 20 seconds of each other with 4 1/2 minutes left, then added the eighth goal with two minutes left in the half. Penn starting goalkeeper Annie Kluetmeier was taken out and sophomore Amy Jodoin took her place for the second half. Dorrance decided to play his second string during the second half. "I wouldn't fault [Kluetmeier] for any of the goals against UNC," Flood said. In contrast to Alabama's purely defensive strategy against the Tar Heels on Friday night, Penn chose not to keep all of their players back defensively, according to Ross. The Quakers believe the experience of playing two of the best teams in the country should raise the Quakers' level of play as they head into the second half of the season. "It will definitely help us in the Ivy League," Toland said. The players had no regrets participating in the tournament despite the lopsided loss. "We kept it in the back of our heads that it would be a learning experience," Ross said.