Penn, W. Soccer host ECACs

Top teams that did not make NCAAs will compete in the ECACs, where the Quakers received the No. 1 seed. Encore! Encore! After shattering Penn's season records for wins, overall and in the Ivy League, the Quakers women's soccer team has been given the chance to continue the historic season. For the first time in the history of the program, the Red and Blue will play in a postseason tournament. This weekend, Penn (12-5, 5-2) hosts the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament at Rhodes Field. After the Quakers failed to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament, Penn was granted the No. 1 seed in the ECAC tournament. The five other teams that earned bids were Yale, Villanova, Dartmouth, Army and St. John's. Villanova, however, forfeited to Dartmouth. The Big Green (9-7-2), therefore, will meet the Quakers tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. on Rhodes Field. "There was talk that Villanova was the best team in Eastern Pennsylvania," Penn coach Patrick Baker said. Because of the forfeit, the Quakers and Wildcats will not get a chance to settle this question on the field this time. Revenge still plays a role for these teams this weekend. Two months ago, Penn opened its Ivy League season with its first-ever victory over Dartmouth. The 2-1 win over the Big Green, which finished tied for second in the Ivy League with Penn and Yale, was the victory that set the tone for this year's success. "It will be harder [than the first time]," Penn defender Jacky Flood said. "They're definitely out to get us." Four of the five teams, the Red Storm being the exception, have played each other this season. Dartmouth defeated Yale 4-0 in mid-October. Yale beat Army by the same score in the first week of October. Two weeks ago, Yale beat the Quakers 4-3 in New Haven, Conn., a loss that ended Penn's hopes of an NCAA tournament berth. "The Yale game was one we'd like to have back," Baker said last week. The Elis may have ruined the Quakers chance at the national tournament, but Penn may have a chance to even the score. The Elis, as the second seed, will play the winner of the St. John's vs. Army matchup. If both Yale and Penn win their semifinal matches, they would meet in the final at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Penn earned the top seed with 12 overall wins, tops in the Ivy League. Baker also cited the difficult schedule that the Quakers during the regular season. Penn played three teams in the ACC, the top conference in the nation, including a strong showing against No. 5 Duke in a 3-1 loss. Being the top seed in the tournament, as well as hosting the semifinals and finals should be a big advantage for Penn. The Quakers have yet to lose a game on Rhodes Field this year and have outscored opponents 31-3 at home. Being named the top seed is also the first official recognition that the Quakers have received for their success this season. No Penn freshman was honored with Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors, and no Quaker received Player of the Week honors this season. "Its about time people started to respect us," Penn midfielder Kelli Toland said. The Quakers come into the tournament after a dramatic win over Princeton last weekend. After going up 2-0 in the first half, the Tigers tied it up with two goals in the second half. Penn forward Jill Callaghan scored the game-winner with five minutes left in the game. The defensive lapses in the Princeton game, along with the four goals given up against Yale, are a cause for concern for Baker. Before the match in New Haven, Conn., the Quakers defense had only given up three goals against Ivy opponents. The Elis scored three goals in the first half alone against the normally stingy defense. The two goals Princeton scored were the first two goals that the Quakers had allowed at home since Dartmouth's goal in early September. Penn's recent weakness on defense, has been defending set pieces. Five of the six goals were off of corner kicks or free kicks that were passed into the penalty box. This week Penn has worked on this obvious weakness in practice, according to Flood. "It's something that we have to be conscience of," Toland said. Penn's defense should get a boost from the return of Annie Kluetmeier to the starting goalie position. Kluetmeier has not played since October 28 against Delaware when she suffered her second concussion in a week. Amy Jodoin started the final three games of the regular season, including the shutout against Monmouth. "Annie was having a stellar year until the second concussion," Baker said. "Hopefully if she gets shots early, they'll be easy ones so she can get her confidence back." After having the best season in Penn history, the Quakers are looking to top it off with an ECAC title. A title to go along with the record number of wins would be the perfect curtain call.